Chapter 117

“…Continue.” When the judge’s permission was given, Adrian’s lips thinned into a line. His green orbs were fixed exactly on Noah. “For about five days from May 2nd to May 7th, I have been next to Eleonora Asil, watching her,” confessed Adrian. 

“What? Hey, when did you…” Noah trailed off. Oh. Yes, he was. He and I had taken the same train from Lunazel to Battuanu… While she was at a loss for words, words flowed from Adrian’s lips smoothly. 

“The effect when the pure and unparalleled magic of the dragon is fused with Eleonora Asil’s own unique powerful magic, in a negative direction, seems immeasurable. Even the defendant herself doesn’t know how to handle the dragon’s mana.”

Noah stared at him in incredulity while Adrian only shrugged his shoulders.

“I think she’s had problems with her magical powers over the past two years. So, she tried to steal the dragon’s egg and make up for it, but it didn’t work out the way she wanted. Oh, like now.”

Noah lifted her arms off the desk, startled, and a crack formed on the surface exactly where her hands rested. Moreover, as she glanced at the crowd above as gasps and murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, the chandelier began to sway dangerously. 

Terrified, Noah attempted to pacify herself. Don’t think about anything. Don’t break anything, don’t get into trouble… Relax. Calm down. She struggled to empty her restless mind, recalling her beautiful, lazy life back in Sorrent. 

But her effort shattered in a snap when Muell, who sensed her emotions, began to stir. 

“……!”

The railing which he had been holding onto turned into fine dust and disappeared into the air. The Emperor behind the child gasped, his eyes widening. While the guards rushed to surround the Emperor, Muell immediately jumped from his seat.

Clang! An incredible roar resounded throughout the entire room, sending vibrations that shook both walls and floors.  

A reporter, who had been sitting in the middle of the courtroom, panicked and fled with a typewriter. At a distance, shock was written all over Kyle’s face. However, Adrian was as calm as a still lake. 

“Mu!” Without further thought, Noah climbed over the desk and ran to the center of the judge’s court. She pulled Muell into her arms, embracing him tightly, and at the same time, Adrian also began to move.

“Quiet, quiet!” The cry of the presiding judge was buried at the screams of the audience trying to escape. As Kyle was about to approach her, Noah frowned in disapproval. She then turned to Adrian. “Stalker, what the hell is this? Are you going to put me in jail?”

“No way.”

Muell’s mana began to spin in the air menacingly. Looking at Adrian’s unbothered expression, something stirred within Noah. A few days ago, a similar wave of emotion aroused in her when she ran into Lenia in the underground prison at the Bureau of Investigation and Security, and it was annoying.

“Do you want me to kill him?” Muell, who clung his arms around Noah’s neck, whispered to her ear. Indeed, it was a sweet and tempting option. Adrian approached her, still wearing a smile on his lips. Then, he pressed her forehead with his finger. “I’m on the verge of feeding the dragon.”

“What…?”

His words froze her momentarily. Taking advantage of her stupor, Adrian threw something beneath her feet, which bounced to her fingers. The next moment, there was an intangible barrier that surrounded them, and Noah’s back was pushed against the invisible wall. 

“Ah…!” 

Adrian grabbed Noah’s shoulders and forced her to sit down. Noah hissed, gritting her teeth. “What is it, this? What did you do?”

“A temporary solution. And what I’m gonna do now is…” Adrian pressed his knee to her shoulder to stop Noah’s protest and snatched her wrist. With a gruesome click of a lock, a heavy weight clasped on Noah’s wrist. The black threads that originated from Muell’s mana, which was crawling toward Adrian’s back, shook for a moment and scratched the floor next to Noah instead of him.

Adrian whispered, clutching Noah’s neck with his hand. “By any chance, have you heard of Obelith Chains?”

“Hey, you bastard!”

“This is also your invention, Eleonora.”

Cold metal touched her neck. Noah instantly recognized the feeling. “What did you put on my neck?” 

“Don’t worry. It’s not something that would harm you.” Adrian stood up, smiling at her one more time.