Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Gustave's Version of JUSTICE! ( Chapter 36 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the SaGa series. SquareSoft does. It makes me sad that they don't see the lack of fanfictions for it, too.

 

Court began almost immediately that day. Kelvin, Leslie, and Cielmer were all in Hahn Nova that time of year, so it took nearly no time at all for them to arrive in Gustave's palace for the trial. The sudden news also attracted the attention of many of the townsfolk, so by afternoon, the court room was already bursting at the seams with too many people wanting to attend. Gustave had to pick and choose the jurors by hand, as well as the bailiff, and after settling for Johan as the bailiff, with Wil Knights and his team as the jurors, he basically let everything else alone, not even caring who chose to actually try and defend Narcisse. As if the man wanted anyone defending him. Since Kelvin once again decided to risk his cracked nose to be prosecutor, Narcisse didn't think he'd need an attorney to take the young lord down. But Cielmer didn't agree, and it was the old teacher himself who took charge for Narcisse.

 

“How badly do you think this will go?” Rouge whispered to Blue, as they watched Cielmer speaking to Narcisse. Blue looked at the two men curiously, and shrugged. As long as Narcisse wasn't like Rita had been, it couldn't be too terrible. Except that obviously, Narcisse had a thing for lying. And generally just being in everyone's way.

 

“No one will die. That much I can probably guarantee,” Blue told him simply. Rouge snorted. Judging by the exhaustion scribbled on Gustave's face, that wasn't a guarantee to be granted. The man looked ready to fall over, but that might be more to stress than to actually being tired. After all, with a war with Cantal being tempered by a scandal he didn't even know about, Rouge wouldn't have been too surprised if the man's blood pressure was a bit too high. Rouge's lips thinned.

 

“Then you might want to ready a Starlight Heal, because our good king doesn't look like he'll make it,” the younger mage whispered, to which he received a hushing noise from Orlouge. Gustave had just risen, and the entire room fell silent on his march. Now he looked grim; the calm visage from before seemed to have cracked with the urgency of the trial. But it did nothing to make Narcisse afraid. It was getting clear that Narcisse was an idiot.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this trial,” Gustave began, “Today, we have learned of a plot, not unborn to mere boredom, that may risk the lives of Hahn Nova, nay of the kingdom of Finney itself. And we have in hand the culprit. A man by the name of Narcisse Rothbury.” Everyone around the entire room stared at Narcisse, and Wil's mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. Evidently, Narcisse wasn't known for causing destruction everywhere he went. But he took it with a grin, anyway.

 

“What the hell did he do!?” one man with a mohawk sitting next to Wil asked, “Did he insult another aristocrat?” Kelvin snorted. That more or less was the case, according to the briefing Gustave did give them. But that wasn't what started it. And unfortunately, Narcisse wasn't fond of being labeled like that.

 

“Hey, I was doing my job!” the man declared angrily, against the advisement of his mentor and lawyer, “It's not my fault my employer didn't ask for the exact details!”

 

“I told you to tell me what my brother said!” Philippe cried back, and Blue just shook his head. Now he saw why Rouge had been concerned. This would probably go even worse than Rita's trial. The woman was a bitch, but she didn't act up until the end. Narcisse wasn't even giving anyone that comfort. And it was clear that he wouldn't be doing so any time soon, either. He glared at his former employer.

 

“I did,” he pointed out, “I told you he raised taxes, because that's what he said.” Blue just snorted. Technically, Narcisse was right. He was much better at this than anyone thought; Philippe might just lose the case to him.

 

“Yeah, but did you say why?” Johan unhelpfully asked, even as Gustave glared at the younger man. Narcisse just grinned smugly. That answer was obvious; if he had, they wouldn't even be in court. Leave it to Gustave to pick idiots for the trial. Gustave himself just tapped his sword on the ground with a mighty clang. Everyone looked at him curiously. He stared back flatly, and quite frankly, Blue couldn't blame the man for being a little upset.

 

“I demand some level of order in my court or all of you will be dismissed,” the lord stated tiredly, and turned to Kelvin, “Please, go first, my friend.” Kelvin nodded, and turned back to Narcisse. He saw why Nebelstern hated the man so much; his grin was ten miles wide at that point. Kelvin swallowed hard. He'd have to play it cool to gain any leverage against someone so damn cocky. He took a breath, and walked toward Narcisse's table.

 

“Is it true Philippe hired you to attend Gustave's court on his behalf?” the young lord asked. To which Narcisse had an unsurprisingly smug response.

 

“Hired is more or less a general term. He practically begged anyone to face his brother, and I happened to show up first,” the older man replied. And unfortunately, that did count as an answer. Kelvin saw Philippe's face pale a bit, too. Narcisse must've spoken some level of truth, after all. Kelvin turned to Gustave.

 

“I call Lord Philippe of Finney as my witness!” he declared. Gustave did little more than wave his assent, and Philippe went to the seat next to the throne, where Johan gave his typical `do you swear' speech. Blue began to see why Gustave hated court and trials so dearly; only Nebelstern seemed to take justice relatively seriously.

 

“Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so you won't land in prison?” the young assassin asked, holding out what looked like a bible for Philippe to swear on. The noble nodded, and Johan shrugged, saying, “Good enough for me. Take a seat.” Gustave just watched flatly, and Kelvin seemed completely certain that, after Rita's antics, no one took anything in his friend's courtroom seriously anymore. He decided to help Gustave and make the case short.

 

“Why did you hire Narcisse specifically?” he asked Philippe bluntly, getting right to his point, “You do know he's not entirely popular with the people. It could have hurt your position to work with him.”

 

“Don't forget that he's a pompous asshole, too!” the man with the mohawk added, and Wil smacked him on the head.

 

“Shut up and let them do their job, Tyler!” he hissed, and Kelvin proceeded to ignore them, waiting for Philippe's answer patiently. Philippe twisted his scarf a little, nervously. Obviously, the answer wasn't an entirely good one.

 

“He worked under Master Cielmer for some time, and the good man was my brother's teacher for nearly five years at that point,” Philippe answered, and Kelvin's eyes widened in disbelief. He quickly turned to Narcisse and Cielmer, the latter of which seemed grim to admit that fact.

 

“He… he did!?” Kelvin exclaimed. Nebelstern grunted, crossing his arms impatiently.

 

“I tried to tell you all this, but someone decided to interrupt,” the general grumbled, looking pointedly at Fuse. The cop just blushed in embarrassment. So the story was going to be useful, after all. Then he just shrugged. It wasn't his fault that they didn't exactly have time to waste. Kelvin just looked at Gustave, wondering what he should do, knowing that Cielmer's credentials were pristine. Gustave looked equally perplexed in that subject; they'd have to wing it. Kelvin turned back to Philippe.

 

“Did you try and contact your brother when you heard taxes were being raised?” the young lord asked, raising a brow. That, first and foremost, was probably the most important question of all. Philippe blinked slowly.

 

“I sent Narcisse out with a message,” he said quietly, as though realizing exactly where this went wrong. Kelvin nodded knowingly. He knew exactly what had transpired, and Philippe's face proved it. He looked up to Gustave and said, “No more questions, your honor.” Gustave nodded and motioned for Cielmer to go next. The old teacher sighed, knowing that Narcisse indeed did a very, very bad thing. And he didn't want to defend him from justice for it, either. But he did. He stood up and took Kelvin's place in front of Philippe.

 

“Lord Philippe, if you knew Narcisse was questionable, why on earth did you choose him?” Cielmer asked calmly, “Surely, within Finney, there must have been someone who was more trustworthy, right?” Philippe opened his mouth to speak, but Zozma cut in, much to both Cielmer's and Kelvin's annoyance.

 

“OBJECTION!” the red-haired Mystic yelled, “That's the same damn thing Kelvin just asked!”

 

“I'll allow it,” Gustave said, and waved for Philippe to answer.

 

“Considering that my idiot of a brother ruled Finney and is practically our world's hero, do you honestly think anyone besides myself would go against him!?” the noble snapped, and crossed his arms, “I needed someone who didn't actually care what happened to Finney, so long as they were able to deliver a message. One tiny message!” Unfortunately, the nature of the trial was anything but tiny. Mainly because Narcisse started the whole war between Cantal and Finney in the first place. This time, at least. Gustave took a deep breath and looked down at his brother.

 

“You realize that was probably the worst requirement to make, don't you?” the older lord asked blandly, raising a slightly amused brow, “That very statement just blew the door open for a revolt, Philippe.” Philippe's frown worsened and turned to a dark scowl as he regarded his older brother.

 

“But no one would complain about your taxes!” Philippe cried, throwing his arms up, “And they're ridiculous! Twenty crowns for a steel sword, which reduces all traces of anima! I wouldn't pay that much to a highwayman let alone to you!” Gustave grumbled. Philippe had a right to be mad, but now he was just making an ass of himself. And he was helping Narcisse, too. And even more unfortunate, Fuse finally decided to screw Finney decorum. The old cop stood and pointed his blaster at Gustave.

 

“So there was extortion! Soldier, you're going to jail for that! Not even a Zero Sword is worth that much, and those are the strongest blades the boys back at home have!” Fuse exclaimed. Gustave's expression couldn't have gone flatter at that point. He looked at Nebelstern, and the general nodded, walking over to where Fuse was. The old cop half-expected to be decked in handcuffs, but was surprised to find Nebelstern wasn't moving to get them out. He leaned close to Fuse instead.

 

“There's no extortion. Stop making a fool of yourself and let us handle this!” the general hissed. Fuse just shrugged and sheathed his blaster as he sat down, crossing his legs.

 

“Fine, but you're doing a shitty job, if you ask me,” came the annoyed reply. Blue glared angrily at Fuse as Nebelstern walked away, but Fuse seemed at relative peace. Blue's anger quickly turned to confusion. What was the point of that interruption? Blue looked around; Rouge didn't appear to have noticed, and none of the Mystics were paying attention to Fuse, either. Did Fuse deliberately disrupt the court? Blue's brow rose.

 

“Sir, what's going on?” he whispered so only Fuse heard. The old cop gave him a knowing smile. It was done purposely.

 

“Listen to what Nebelstern said, soldier. `There's no extortion,' means that the steel swords ain't that much money,” Fuse explained quietly, “My guess is, that's another lie fabricated by Narcisse.” Or perhaps Philippe had been right. But Blue didn't argue that point. It wasn't like Fuse would listen, though his theory did have merit as well. Blue just turned to where Narcisse and Cielmer sat. Narcisse seemed just as confused as he had been but a moment before. Perhaps Fuse's efforts were for naught, after all.

 

“Lord Philippe, where on earth did you hear that swords were that costly?” Cielmer asked him with a raised brow, “My client says not even he knew the price of steel nowadays.” Philippe blinked. By the looks of it, he didn't remember who told him the price either. Or perhaps, no one even had. He turned to Gustave.

 

“I saw it on sale at one of your shops for twenty two crowns,” he told his brother, “That's the most ridiculous price I've ever seen.”

 

“But did you buy the sword?” Cielmer asked, before Gustave had a chance to speak. Philippe turned and shook his head, crossing his arms as he sat forward.

 

“Absolutely not! As I've said, that's highway robbery!” the lord answered bluntly. Cielmer sighed. That had nothing to do with the case at present. He took another breath and paced around just once. Then he asked another question, hopefully one that might help Narcisse break free.

 

“Sir, do you even know what taxes were put on?” he asked, and Blue saw Fuse grin a little, “Did you know the difference between what was taxed and what was on demand?” Unfortunately, that question didn't seem to upset Philippe. It just made him a little annoyed. He snorted.

 

“You're telling me to believe that it's perfectly normal for tea to cost two crowns one day and ten the next,” Philippe retorted harshly, “That's tax. I'm no idiot. I know tax when I see it. I just want to know why in hell my own messenger would lie.”

 

“Don't forget to ask why he started a war, too,” Ciato grumbled, to which Ildon nudged him in the ribs. He fell in his seat, and Cielmer cleared his throat. In his want to actually defend Narcisse, he'd forgotten that rather important detail. That was, after all, pretty much why they were on trial. He risked another glance at his client; Narcisse had paled a bit.

 

“All right, then. Did you believe that this skirmish had anything to do with taxes?” Cielmer asked Philippe, who shook his head.

 

“No. I thought it was because I accidentally sank Gustave's ships over in Hahn's Harbor,” the lord replied. Cielmer blinked. Now he wasn't too sure where he should be going with this case. There seemed to be way too many things that didn't fit in at all. He glanced up at Gustave, who seemed eager to get this court over with. He felt the need to help his old student along.

 

“And how exactly did you manage to do that?” the older teacher asked slowly, trying to get what he could together to end this gracefully. His tone sounded like he couldn't even believe Philippe did manage to do that, and quite frankly, no one could blame him. Boats, after all, were huge. Especially when owned by the aristocracy. It'd have to be a pretty bad accident to sink one. By accident, of course. Philippe blinked slowly, and leaned forward to answer. Blue noticed he looked a little worried now. This had to be good.

 

“Last week, I was visited by a magical goat,” the noble began, and Kelvin's mouth dropped as Narcisse burst into hysterical laughter, “I'm serious! This goat had a green mane, and said its name was Kylin!” At that point, Narcisse abruptly stopped laughing, and silence seemed to fall all around as the Mystics within the room all rose, like one ominous presence. Blue felt the room shake, just a little, from the rage emanating from their Mystic friends, but said nothing about it. Cielmer turned to Orlouge, wondering what was wrong. And likewise, Gustave seemed just as concerned. He tilted his head.

 

“Be there a problem?” he asked calmly, losing all trace of annoyance when he saw the disharmony being caused. Every Mystic nodded, this time their unison broken. But it was the Time Lord who spoke first. His voice, though calm and smooth, was undeniably shaken with the mention of Kylin.

 

“Kylin, my liege, is the Lord of the plane of Space,” the Time Lord explained, “To be visited by him is both an honor and a worry to be sure. Many a time, it is the latter. Why would he visit your own brother?” Gustave looked down at his brother, who fidgeted nervously. Obviously, the man hadn't thought this was such a big deal.

 

“I'm interested to know this as well,” Gustave stated seriously, and leaned back in his seat. He waved to gesture Philippe into telling his tale. Philippe cleared his throat, knowing that the fate of the court was on his shoulders; mainly, if he didn't talk, the Mystics might actually slaughter everyone there. And as much as he liked causing Gustave trouble, he hated having to rebuild another city because of his actions.

 

“He said something about needing a vessel for a while,” the noble explained simply, “Something about the voids getting screwed up. He said I can use a new kind of anima, and what do you know, I can. I waved a hand and called `Meteor,' and Gustave's ships went down.” Now Narcisse's mouth dropped. But not with worry, nor with any immediate concerns for the populace at large. No, now he was envious. He wanted that magic, because he thought he was a decent magician. Which, unfortunately, he was. He stood up, even when Cielmer motioned for him to sit.

 

“That's not fair!” Narcisse declared, as Zozma exclaimed, “Kylin actually gave you his magic!?” Philippe nodded, looking at the young Mystic.

 

“Is that a bad thing?” the noble asked timidly. Ciato snorted, crossing his arms.

 

“Not if you like risking the voids of space collapsing in on you,” he grumbled sarcastically, and then said, “If I were you, I'd get his ass back here and take that magic back before you murder someone with it.” Blue and Rouge both turned to the white-haired Mystic flatly, eyes narrowed.

 

“He already murdered whoever happened to be on those ships,” Rouge pointed out. But of course, that wasn't much of a concern for Ciato. He just snorted again, smirked, and looked away as if the wall had something far more interesting to see. In Ciato's mind, that very well might've been the case. Except that Fuse once again jumped out of his seat, pointing an accusing finger at Philippe. Blue had the urge to slice that finger off.

 

“That's as good as a confession!” the old cop cried, “He murdered everyone on those ships! Tell me we can book him for that!”

 

“Oh, would you just shut up and let these idiots do their damn jobs!?” Ciato asked, throwing his arms up, “This isn't an Agatha Christie novel! The Space Lord gave some HUMAN his power! That's not a good thing, but hey, if you want our world to end, who the hell am I to stop you!?” Blue didn't say how contradicting that was, but it managed to somehow produce the desired effect. Fuse shut his mouth and quietly sat back down. The Time Lord looked from the flustered cop, back to Philippe, and then to Cielmer. The poor man was lost for words; learning the identity of a lord of another plane must've gone far beyond his scholarships. And as much as manners counted, the Time Lord had to risk disrupting the court again. He stepped out of the audience, toward Gustave.

 

“Sir, I believe this is an element we've not counted on,” the Mystic began calmly, and bowed, “May I ask that court is adjourned?” Unfortunately, as much as Gustave respected the Mystics, he had to decline. The court wasn't called because of Philippe's boat wrecks. Kylin was an unrelated incident entirely. He shook his head.

 

“Not until we sort the mess with sir Rothbury first,” the good lord said solemnly, “Let us continue.” Cielmer didn't respond, and it took Kelvin nudging him before he realized he had been spoken to. He nodded, and turned toward Philippe again, clearing his throat.

 

“So, you had no ill will when you destroyed an entire merchant fleet?” he asked, almost amused as he worded his question. Even Kelvin managed a good snort, until Gustave glared at him darkly. Kelvin understood the unspoken threat, and looked away. Rouge still saw that he was silently chuckling. And he decided not to report the young lord. Philippe shook his head before speaking.

 

“None,” was the reply, and then Philippe grumbled, “Not until taxes were raised, anyway.” Cielmer hid a snort. That was only expected. He motioned that he was done questioning Philippe, and Gustave bid his brother to step down from the stand. Then it was Kelvin's turn again, and this time he pointed to Narcisse.

 

“I call Narcisse to the stand!” Kelvin declared, and no one objected. Narcisse walked up to where Johan waited, and Gustave was disgruntled to see that his bailiff hadn't gotten any more eloquent since court began as he brought out his bible again.

 

“Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so you don't get arrested?” Johan asked, and added, “And don't think about lying about lying, either.” He didn't miss Gustave's flat look, and grinned when Narcisse agreed. Then he walked the older man to the chair, and all but strapped him in when Narcisse sat down. The confused defendant looked around at everyone as Johan constricted his arms to the arms of the chair. And his brow rose.

 

“Is this honestly necessary!?” he demanded, realizing he was indeed being detained. Johan looked up at him and nodded.

 

“It's to make sure you don't go off and kill us with Incinerate,” the young would-be assassin replied, and gave the thumbs up, “As soon as I chain your legs, we're right as rain.”

 

“I don't remember this ever being part of any court, good sirs!” Narcisse cried, brows suddenly creasing at the news, “I demand proof of this! I won't stand for this unfair treatment!” Unfortunately, Gustave wasn't even sure what he should've taken seriously. Johan was, after all, a trained assassin. He seemed to know what he was doing, and he knew better than to kill Narcisse. The man was safe. Sort of.

 

“Rest assured you probably won't be killed this way,” was all the tired lord said, and Narcisse squirmed as he tried to escape his bonds. Johan snapped another chain to seal the rope binding the man to the chair, and gave another thumbs-up before running off to join the crowd. And that's when Blue saw Fuse wipe away a tear. It was a tear of absolute pride.

 

“Now that's what I call an `arrested development!” the old cop said proudly, “Now we might actually get some answers from this guy!” Blue wasn't so sure of that, but he didn't dare to argue right then. Kelvin blinked slowly as he saw just how much Johan tied Narcisse up; the man could barely move let alone try and run off. He almost felt bad. Except that he knew what Narcisse did was technically wrong. Even if nothing bad happened yet.

 

“All right. If we're going to understand your motive, we should probably see what you were doing before being employed,” Kelvin reasoned calmly, pacing before Narcisse, “What were you doing before you'd been hired by Finney?” Narcisse rose his brow again, giving a half-smile.

 

“Motive? Didn't I just say I did this because I was bored?” he asked, to which Kelvin gave a sigh, “I'll humor you. I was in the bar in Westia, as usual, watching Tyler get drunk.”

 

“I WASN'T DRUNK, YOU BASTARD!” the juror named Tyler retorted, to which Wil smacked him again. Narcisse's grin grew smug. That was practically an alibi. Kelvin just chuckled and continued on.

 

“How on earth did Philippe find you?” he asked, half amused by Tyler's outburst. Narcisse's grin hadn't faded. Kelvin wasn't too surprised by that; the man seemed to have an answer for everything, and if he didn't, his friends were more than willing to provide one, albeit unwillingly.

 

“Why don't you just ask him?” the man countered smugly. Blue was certain that if he wasn't strapped to a chair, Narcisse would've crossed his arms. He was the epitome of confidence right then. Too much confidence. Kelvin's normally gentle expression went nearly as flat as Gustave's. It was clear he wasn't in the mood to play Musical Defendants, either. He leaned against the table.

 

“Because I've asked you, and if you won't answer, you get to visit prison,” Kelvin told him, his serious tone contrasting his expression, “Take your pick.” Narcisse wasn't so vain that he didn't get the threat. He nodded accordingly, his smirk fading. He tried to wave the tension away… except that he remembered Johan strapped him into the chair. He grumbled.

 

“Truth be told, I have absolutely no idea how the Lord of Finney managed to find me,” the man said truthfully, attempting at what Blue thought was a shrug, “My guess is, he entered hoping to find someone worthy to be his messenger.”

 

“So he actually went into the bar?!” Tyler demanded, “I didn't even see him!”

 

“That's because you were drunk,” Narcisse replied, his grin returning. Gustave tapped a tiny gravel, and everyone looked over at him, many of them annoyed that he would interrupt Narcisse, as if this wasn't his court. Except that it was. Meaning he had every right to interrupt the disorder.

 

“You both spoke out of order, so keep it in line or next time I'm arresting you both,” the good lord said, and Tyler obediently sat. He didn't even need to look to know Narcisse was sitting; the man's binds prohibited any other movement anyway. Rouge looked over at Fuse.

 

“Can you really be arrested for speaking out of turn?” he asked, and Fuse nodded, a grin forming across his face. He leaned back casually, crossing his arms as he watched the scene unfold before him. Blue noted he looked cocky. Heavens only knew why.

 

“Oh yeah. In fact, in many old cultures, interrupting a ceremony was usually resolved with death,” Fuse replied, which may have been true… more or less, “So, in actuality, Gustave could probably kill them both for their shenanigans.” Blue just shook his head, not sure if he should even believe whatever happened to be dribbling from Fuse's mouth. Rouge just stared at their boss flatly, unable to believe him either.

 

“Wouldn't you have to arrest him for murder?” the young magician pointed out, and the grin Fuse had merely widened. Which was another way of saying `exactly.'

 

“That's how life works, sometimes. The very thing that allows him free reign is what'll put him in jail if he's not careful,” Fuse said, almost happily, “That's why you have to be careful with power. It could really be a detriment to you.” Blue was almost tempted to point out that Fuse abused his power nearly all the time, but with Fuse, there wasn't much anyone could do to point out his mistakes. Blue just nodded and turned back to watch the court. At this point, Kelvin had asked Narcisse what happened when Philippe did hire him. And the answer was, unfortunately, very little.

 

“He summoned me out of the blue and ordered that I come directly to his palace,” Narcisse said, “Honestly, I have no idea why he chose me. I really don't. For all I know, he could've dropped my name in a hat and picked it at random.” Kelvin blinked, having no idea how he was supposed to be reacting to that. He looked over at Gustave. The man seemed equally confused. Even Cielmer seemed at a loss as to where to head from there. Biting his lip, Kelvin decided another tactic. Unfortunately, with a case like this, he was running out of those rather quickly. He took a breath.

 

“All right. Let's get back to motive,” the young lord decided, clapping his hands together once, “You said you were bored. What were you hoping to actually accomplish by starting a war?” Narcisse just stared at Kelvin like he was the biggest moron in the world, and Blue had to admit that the answer was pretty obvious. There really wasn't much to accomplish on Narcisse's part. In anyone's case, there wasn't much to accomplish period.

 

“I think dissipating my boredom pretty much sums it up,” Narcisse answered loftily, shaking his head to clear his hair from his face, “Listen, does it matter who said what? We're not accomplishing anything here, so why not let me go?” Kelvin's lips thinned. That did seem to be the only logical thing to do, since they really had gotten absolutely nowhere. And it didn't seem like they were going to anytime soon, either. He was about to agree, when the doors to the hall blew open, slamming against the stone walls with such a crash that it silenced everyone else immediately.

 

“HOLD IT!” came a shrill voice as the wind passed, “No one's leaving court!”

 

“Who the hell is that?” Ciato demanded, wondering just how long they'd expect to be kept in court. Rouge turned to try and see, but the darkness in the hall was just a bit too thick. All he saw was a silhouette. But it looked distinctly female. Fuse just shrugged, not particularly caring who happened to be interrupting the court yet again.

 

“Don't know, but they can be booked for disrupting justice,” he said simply, to which no one agreed. Blue just looked back to where Kelvin stood. The man went absolutely stiff when he heard the voice. And when the figure stepped out into the light, Blue saw why. It was Nicolette, the one who tried to help Rita when she had been tried. Rouge just raised a brow as she walked right in.

 

“Why the hell is she here?” he whispered to Blue, as Nicolette passed by, a smirk on her face even as some of the crowd began to boo at her. Gustave just blinked as she slowly approached, wanting to ask the same question himself. She normally bordered on being rude; this was just being stupid. But Gustave was the judge; he had to give her some benefit of the doubt. Even if he really didn't want to.

 

“Nicolette Drangueford,” he began slowly, calmly, “What brings you, my dear niece, to Hahn Nova?” Rouge's mouth dropped open. Nicolette was Gustave's niece!? That was something he didn't see, and it was clear Kelvin didn't see it, either. He looked ready to keel over completely now. Nicolette gave a smile and curtsied, but something told Blue it was anything but courteous. Her smile looked too smug, even for Gustave.

 

“I came to tell you that this isn't Narcisse's idea,” she declared, much to the shock of everyone except for herself. Gustave's kind smile faded, wondering what news his niece could've possibly had. He leaned forward.

 

“Then who, my dear, did this?” he asked gently. Her smugness merely grew. Rouge silently thought that if she were his niece, she'd be eating an Implosion spell. She should thank the gods she wasn't his niece.

 

“I did,” she said, and that earned gasps of surprise from all around, “I'm the one who caused the war between you and my father. I'm the one who got Sir Rothbury's position among uncle Philippe. I'm the one who knocked that idiot, Kelvin, clear off his horse.” Blue risked a look around, just to see the startled looks on all involved. Wil and Tyler seemed to have frozen in place. Narcisse just had a grin, however oddly set, plastered on his face. Philippe couldn't believe what he was hearing, and Kelvin managed enough emotion to glare angrily at what was clearly deemed his biggest rival. And Gustave looked shocked beyond words. In fact, it was Cielmer who managed to speak next, him being the only one who didn't have any true connection to the young woman.

 

“Young lady, why would you do this?” he asked her, his voice sounding unusually loud in the large chamber. Ciato and Zozma actually winced; Rouge guessed it was because everything else had fallen so silently at the bizarre twist in the already deranged court. Nicolette didn't seem overly worried by the teacher's even tone. She placed a hand on her hip.

 

“Why not? I don't particularly like my father, and I hate Kelvin,” she stated simply, as if that were a perfectly acceptable reason for starting what could've been a catastrophic disaster, “What better way than to push the idiot off his horse and blame it on daddy?”

 

“But then where the hell does he come in!?” Zozma demanded, pointing to Narcisse. For once, Ciato seemed to actually agree that that was a good question. The two Mystics grinned, having a feeling they hit a crucial point on its head. But the look on Nicolette's face told them they hadn't. Rouge wondered if there was a way to cast Energy Chain without Blue noticing him. But there wasn't.

 

“Him? He was just amusement,” she replied, shrugging, “I just wanted to see what a man like Narcisse would do if he actually managed to get into the circle of nobility. Now I know.” Blue heard Ciato and Ildon snort in amusement at the notion, and guessed they probably had done similar at some point in their lives. Likewise, Narcisse now looked absolutely furious. If he hadn't been strapped to a chair, he'd have leapt out and probably strangled the woman. It certainly didn't stop him from trying; he just managed to fall over when he did. Gustave motioned for Johan to come back and help him, and the young assassin was only too happy to oblige.

 

“Come on, crazy person. You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop,” he said, straightening Narcisse's chair. He wasn't even bothering to unloose the binds, and that may have been a good thing. Blue was sure if he had, they'd be dealing with a murder as well as a would-be scandal. But Narcisse wouldn't hear any of it. He continued thrashing around.

 

“That little brat USED me!” he screamed angrily, “She insulted me! I demand a lawyer for this!” Cielmer wanted to say that he was Narcisse's lawyer, but he refrained. He wasn't doing an entirely good job of protecting his client, anyway. He turned to Gustave.

 

“What do we do about this, my liege?” he asked the younger man calmly. It was pretty clear not even Gustave had an answer for that one. But Fuse did, and he stood up solidly, firmly. Blue shook his head. He had a feeling whatever his boss's idea was, it would probably end badly. It normally did.

 

“I say we arrest everyone here for conspiracy,” the cop declared, and Rouge just patted Blue's back as he smacked his head against the pew, “Sounds like this has too many knots to sort out, soldier. Best to just cut the strings and let `em fall.” Blue heard the Mystics snort again, and didn't even want to know just what they found be to so damn funny. Gustave, however, wasn't amused. He sighed and shook his head in disapproval. He should've known what Fuse would've suggested.

 

“We can't do that. We can't arrest everyone,” he said tiredly, laying his head in his hands. Fuse just frowned, his shoulders slumping. To him, that was the easiest solution.

 

“I would've done it,” he sulked, and sat back down. Zozma actually laughed this time and gave the old cop a firm pat on the shoulder.

 

“And that's probably why no one likes you,” the red-haired Mystic said, and Ciato nudged him angrily in the ribs. Blue sighed again. This court was falling apart, just like last time. Gustave stood up again, and beckoned his niece to come forward. She did; she wasn't worried. She was an idiot, like Fuse was.

 

“Nicolette, you realize you've caused a massive panic among both nations, as well as in Jade, correct?” Gustave asked her seriously, and she nodded, still proud of what she managed to accomplish, “I can't let this slip, my niece. I'm telling your father what you've told us. You will be dealt with back in Cantal's region.” This time, Nicolette's face fell. And Rouge grinned. That was the only thing she hadn't foreseen. Why she hadn't, though, Blue really wanted to know of. That was the most obvious solution to this problem, other than just letting Narcisse walk free for his inadvertent hand. He wasn't trying to bring the nation down, after all. He was just being him.

 

“You… you can't!” Nicolette cried, “Please, uncle, don't tell him! I'll never see the outside world again! He'll lock me up for fifty years!”

 

“Then maybe you should've thought twice before startin' World War III,” Fuse retorted, both amused and serious at the same time, “Now stop your crying. I've locked up little kids that were tougher than this.” Blue and Rouge just stared at their boss in utter disbelief. For all they could know, Fuse might've actually done that. No one put it past him, anyway. Nicolette nearly broke down, and Kelvin looked to Gustave for instruction. The good lord had none. Kelvin walked up to Nicolette and put his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him.

 

“K-Kelvin?” she asked, but then she heard a click, and it took all but one second to realize he just handcuffed her, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

 

“You're in detainment for lying, conspiracy, and planting the seeds of war,” Kelvin told her firmly, with just a hint of pride himself, “Oh, and for knocking my horse over, too. You owe me six thousand crowns for that.” Nicolette's eyes popped out of her head at that. Six thousand crowns! For a stupid horse! Rouge wasn't sure how many credits that amounted to, but it had to be in the millions to warrant her reaction. He looked over, and saw Fuse wipe a tear away.

 

“I'm so proud to see justice prevailed again!” he cried, sniffling a little as Kelvin and Johan began dragging Nicolette away. Zozma just raised a brow as the Time Lord frowned. Justice wasn't exactly their friend right then; they still didn't know what to do concerning the Time Lord's clock, and why it'd been broken. But everyone else seemed to have forgotten that fact, and Zozma was more than happy to do so, too. The red-haired Mystic shrugged easily, a grin forming on his face as the group gathered, ignoring the crowds that were beginning to get up and leave the court around them.

 

“So then, my human comrades, what do we do now?” he asked, a slight tone of mischief in his voice, “Go see the sights of Hahn Nova?” Rouge perked up a bit at that, but Ciato didn't seem as thrilled, and Rouge was dismayed to find Blue wasn't enthusiastic, either. Both shook their heads, and it was the white-haired Mystic who spoke first.

 

“We need to go to the Plane of Space and see why Kylin gave Philippe his power, remember?” Ciato reminded him flatly, and Zozma's shoulders slumped as Orlouge and the Time Lord agreed. He couldn't even believe it! They'd just gotten out of court, too.

 

“Don't you humans ever stop working!?” he whined in disbelief, as Blue led Rouge and Ciato out toward the front hall, where people were still discussing the case, or lack of it. Fuse just snorted. Obviously, working for a living wasn't a requirement in Fascinaturu. But he was more than happy to school the Mystics on human society, even if his attempts failed with Silence. As Orlouge and the Time Lord left to join the magicians, he glanced back at Zozma and grinned just as cockily as the red-headed Mystic had once been, minutes ago. And he gave the thumbs-up, too. Zozma hated that gesture; it meant that Fuse was perfectly happy to work for justice twenty-four hours a damned day.

 

“Nope,” was the simple response, “Now get your ass moving, soldier. We've got a job to do.” Zozma wanted to argue that he was just helping and he didn't even work for Fuse, but he refrained. This was just another adventure, and he loved trying different things, anyway. He grinned, and followed the cop out. He'd be going to space, after all. Life was just dandy for him. But unfortunately, it was just another day's work for Fuse. Obviously, Fuse had never been in space before.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

And so, it looks like the scandal of Hahn Nova was solved! Or, perhaps not, when you consider all the zany antics and twists thrown their way. But it all worked out in the end, and hopefully for the better. But Philippe shed some light on a more pressing matter for the Mystics: Kylin, ruler of Space, gave his magic to a human. And while it's not a matter for IRPO, Fuse deems it worthy to look into anyway! How will our heroes fare in space? What will Kylin offer as an explanation? Will the Time Lord ever find out why his clock was broken? And will this story EVER end!? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!