"Rei, the way you acted today... was not like your usual self." Chiori placed a steaming cup of hot tea on the table in front of Rei.
Rei answered calmly, "Actually, I don't want to act so harshly either. But if I show any weakness, lots of people trying to please the Cappet family will come to bother both of us. I don't care if it happens to me, but I don't want you to get caught up in it."
Hearing Rei's last sentence, a wave of sweetness surged in Chiori's heart, yet her face still pretended not to care. She gave a light snort. "I'm not someone afraid of trouble! I don't need you to manage my affairs!"
"True," Rei nodded in agreement. "A woman as fierce as you is indeed not afraid of trouble!"
As soon as his voice fell, a cold light flashed, and a sharp katana appeared in Chiori's hand.
Her expression was indifferent as she stared straight at Rei, asking word by word, "Am I fierce?"
Rei did not hesitate in the slightest and replied immediately, "You aren't fierce at all. You are the gentlest woman I have ever seen."
Hearing Rei's answer, only then did Chiori sheath her katana with satisfaction.
Rei shook his head secretly, picked up the teacup, slowly finished the hot tea, and stood up to take his leave.
The next morning, dressed in dark casual clothes, Rei stepped into the main hall of the Palais Mermonia.
As soon as he walked in, everyone looked at him at the same time, their eyes full of respect and amazement.
Obviously, they had all learned of the events that transpired in front of Chioriya Boutique yesterday.
Rei sensed the gazes of the crowd, and the corners of his mouth ticked upward slightly, forming a faint smile.
After crossing the main hall, he headed straight for the Tribunal on the third floor.
The administrative institutions of Fontaine mainly included the Maison Gardiennage, the Maison Ordalie, and the Marechaussee Phantom.
Of these, the Tribunal (inside the Maison Ordalie) was the most important; it was in charge of the prosecution office and handled the laws of Fontaine.
On ordinary days, apart from important cases which were tried personally by the Iudex, Neuvillette, other cases were handled by the judges of the Tribunal.
Rei had just walked to the entrance of the Tribunal when he saw Ophir waiting there.
Compared to yesterday, he looked a bit worn out.
"Rei, do you really intend to take this to the extreme? Are you clear about the consequences of doing so?" Ophir asked, his voice hoarse.
Rei looked up at him and gave a mocking smile. "Someone like me only has one rotten life. If I can drag a high and mighty noble like you off your horse, it will be worth it!"
Hearing this, Ophir suddenly became upset and angry. "Madman! How can there be someone as reckless as you!"
After raging impotently for a while, he tried his best to soften his tone. "Rei, if you give up on pursuing this and stop investigating that case, the Cappet family guarantees that you will be promoted to Captain of the Gardes within three years."
Rei asked calmly, "What? Are you going to swear that the Cappet family will keep its promise?"
Ophir paused for a moment. He was eager to convince Rei, so he spoke without hesitation.
"Fine. I swear it now. As long as you do what I say, the Cappet family will honor its word."
Rei scoffed at his words, too lazy to waste any more breath, and continued to walk forward.
"Rei, are the conditions not tempting enough? I can give you another one million Mora... no, ten million Mora!"
Seeing that Rei didn't react, Ophir hurried forward, his voice even sounding a little desperate.
Rei stopped in his tracks, his gaze staring coldly at Ophir's anxious face. "You are much more generous than that Ske. However, I'm afraid I won't have the life to spend that ten million Mora."
After speaking, he forcefully pushed Ophir aside and strode into the Tribunal.
Not long after, Rei walked to the reception desk and roughly explained the situation to the receptionist.
The receptionist immediately reported the situation to their superiors.
Soon, Judge Roman walked over, looking frustrated and unlucky.
He didn't want to take this case at all.
But because of the rules about avoiding conflicts of interest, most judges in the Tribunal could not take the case, so this difficult job ended up with him.
"Vice Captain Rei, please come to my office and explain what happened in detail." Roman said, looking unhappy.
Rei nodded slightly and lifted his foot, preparing to follow Roman to the office.
Just then, a rough voice suddenly came from his side.
"Vice Captain Rei, I'll go with you! Roman is very tricky; if you aren't careful, he'll take advantage of you!"
Rei followed the sound and was surprised to find that the newcomer was actually the Captain of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, Donatello.
After a brief moment of astonishment, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes, and he asked, "Captain, are you really going to help me? Do you know who I am dealing with?"
"Of course I know. Isn't it just that bunch of punks from the Cappet family? I've found them unpleasant for a long time!" Donatello replied carelessly, paying no mind to the strange gazes of those around him.
Seeing this, Roman held his forehead. "You two... really are..."
Halfway through his sentence, he shook his head helplessly and walked toward his office.
Rei and Donatello followed closely behind him.
After they entered the office, Roman carefully wrote down Rei's statement.
When the recording was finished, he handed the written statement to Rei for review.
Rei confirmed there were no issues and signed his name on it.
Roman put away the statement and said seriously, "Vice Captain Rei, I will have agents of the Marechaussee Phantom start looking into this case right away. While they investigate, Ophir will be temporarily suspended. Since this is a serious case where a public official shot a coworker in the street, there is a good chance the case will go to Monsieur Neuvillette for a decision."
Rei felt very satisfied with this outcome. "Judge Roman, thank you so much!"
Roman, however, looked bitter. "I am due to retire in half a year. Sigh, I've really been dragged down by you this time!"
"Roman, how can you say such spineless words?" Donatello shouted dissatisfiedly from the side.
Roman glared at Donatello grumpily. "My retirement benefits are assessed by Oldman, not graded by backbone."
Donatello wanted to argue further, but was stopped by Rei.
He spoke with a sincere tone, "Judge Roman, I apologize for putting you in a difficult position. If you truly suffer losses because of this matter, I guarantee I will make up for all your losses."
When he heard this, Roman looked at Rei with respect. "Vice Captain Rei, you are much stronger than this rash Donatello. I hope you can go far."
The corners of Rei's mouth raised into a confident smile.
"Rest assured, I will go very, very far."