Almost at the same moment he uttered those words, an extremely terrifying oppressive aura instantly erupted from Yuto.
—That was the imposing presence unique to a superior.
Although for Yuto, Edward's assassination attempt was merely a play, as a professional actor, he naturally had to see the act through.
Feeling the oppressive aura emanating from Yuto, Sal's heart involuntarily trembled, and he then explained with some panic:
"Mr. Yuto, th-this has nothing to do with us; it was Edward's personal action, unrelated to the family!"
"More, more importantly, you can't even confirm that what he said is true. He resents us for expelling him from the family, so that's why he orchestrated this whole thing!"
"You are the Assistant Administrator representing the God of Justice; you cannot believe the words of that desperado and pin this enormous crime on the Noclan Family!"
Sal's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, as if the words he had just spoken had exhausted all the strength in his body.
Yuto, however, slowly closed his eyes, rhythmically tapping the table in front of him with his fingers, then quietly said:
"You played a good hand, expelling Edward from the family so that his actions would be unrelated to you, allowing you to successfully cleanse yourselves of sin."
"If the assassination succeeded, you would not only have avenged yourselves against me but also conveniently kicked out Edward, a junior who disagreed with you, leaving yourselves pure and blameless."
"If the assassination failed... you could also use the excuse of 'being expelled from the family' to directly brand him as a traitor, thereby successfully severing ties. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a well-calculated plan!"
At this point, Yuto suddenly opened his eyes, his sea-blue gaze quietly fixed on Sal, his eyes filled with coldness.
Sal, startled by Yuto's glare, shivered and then said with a tremor:
"You, you only listened to his side of the story, we—"
"What you're saying is also one side of the story. Should I believe you, or should I believe what Edward, who underwent Judgment, said?"
Yuto looked at Sal, who was trembling with fear, with a half-smile, a look of toying with his prey appearing on his face.
Ordinarily, he didn't have this habit of toying with his prey, but... from a certain perspective, he needed to give this idiot in front of him enough pressure.
The purpose of this was singular—to bring the Noclan Family sufficient pressure and urgency.
This was a group of families bound together by interests; once those interests disappeared, their power would naturally weaken.
This would maximize the protection of the victims' safety, as who knew what these sanctimonious beasts might do.
Of course, there was another consideration: deterrence within the 'Old Aristocracy' circle.
Compared to directly surrounding the Noclan Family's mansion with people from the Shadowy Court and the Special Patrol Unit, this kind of long-lasting fear would achieve the goal of 'killing the chicken to warn the monkeys' more effectively.
The Old Aristocrats who hadn't joined the Noclan Family in testing Fontaine's bottom line would be relieved they weren't involved, thus aligning more closely with Palais Mermonia's stance.
And those who were involved... probably wouldn't be able to sleep well or even dare to turn on their lights.
After all, they didn't know when an Assistant Administrator with a slight smile might be standing at the entrance of their mansion.
Thinking of this, Yuto gently shook his head, then spoke:
"So... both of your accounts are one-sided. I won't listen to either, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook."
"I know a highly skilled doctor who can create something similar to a truth serum. We'll know the situation once we try it."
Upon hearing this, Sal, who had been contemplating how to escape to Snezhnaya with mora, instantly relaxed.
"Th-thank you for your great kindness! Regarding Palais Mermonia's disaster relief efforts, I, on behalf of the Noclan Family... will donate ninety million mora!"
Sal gritted his teeth and declared a figure that was difficult for anyone to refuse.
This was all the property and liquid assets on the books that the Noclan Family had accumulated over more than two hundred years since their return to Fontaine.
Once donated... the Noclan Family's businesses would more or less be paralyzed and then swallowed up by other operators.
But compared to mora and property, life was more important.
Sal's purpose in handing over this mora was to secure a new death-exemption token for the Noclan Family, thereby preserving the entire family.
But he forgot one thing.
Since establishing closer cooperative relations with the other five nations besides Snezhnaya, Palais Mermonia was not short of money at all.
Coupled with the close ties between Ritou and Fontaine in recent years, commercial exchanges and cooperation had also caused Palais Mermonia's tax revenue to skyrocket.
In other words...
If this were ninety million mora from three or four hundred years ago, Yuto might have considered it, accepted the money, and then permanently exiled them, forbidding them from ever entering the country again.
But now, Palais Mermonia truly didn't care for that small amount of mora.
Thinking of this, Yuto smiled slightly, and a new idea for deterring other nobles suddenly came to him.
He slowly rose, wearily stretching his neck, and then said:
"Alright, since Mr. Sal, like your ancestors, is dedicated to the construction and development of Fontaine, I won't say too much."
"The case is still under investigation. If Noclan Edward says he did it after taking the truth serum... then naturally, it has nothing to do with the Noclan Family."
"However... I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation for this."
Clap—
After speaking, Yuto threw the stack of documents Miles had given him onto the table, then continued:
"Of course, by 'reasonable explanation'... I mean during the Judgment in a few days."
"You enjoy making petty moves when I'm busy working for more people? Do you think I, the Assistant Administrator, am a paper tiger?"
"Hundreds of years have passed, and the descendants of those beasts are still beasts. You have not realized your responsibilities at all; instead, you've intensified your exploitation of others."
"I'd like to ask... who gave you the right to disregard the law? Neither your generation nor the generation from over three hundred years ago has learned the virtues of your ancestors."
"Think carefully about how to explain, think carefully about how to prevent yourselves from being drowned by the spittle of the populace at the Judgment stand."
With that, Yuto clapped his hands, winked at Lumine and Paimon who were still sitting on the sofa, then clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely walked out.
However, just as he was about to step out of the living room, Yuto suddenly stopped.
He slightly turned his head and softly said:
"I hope you will keep your promise, otherwise... things won't be as simple as Judgment or expulsion."
After delivering the final ultimatum, Yuto disappeared into the night with the two, leaving Sal, pale-faced, sitting blankly in the living room, lost in thought.
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