’How would I answer the Iron Dragon problem?’
Baron froze for a mont, clearly not expecting Victor to throw the question back at him.
Victor said, "I can’t find a just solution to this problem. I simply can’t make a choice."
’This is a classic moral dilemma. He’s just too much of a moralist.’
Just as Baron was about to speak, a clamor erupted from the crowd outside the long canopy. A voice shouted from within.
"Allen is an ingrate! He abandoned his family after becoming famous!"
He turned his head. Outside the canopy, a bustling crowd composed of gamblers who had lost their bets was being held back by guards ard with spears and halberds.
Fearing the cold glint of the spearheads, they didn’t advance, instead shouting from where they stood:
"Allen is a bastard! He only cares about himself, not his family!"
The dignitaries frowned. With the True Allen already dead, it was clear those people outside were targeting L.
Lewis asked what was going on, and an Attendant ca running over to explain:
A couple claiming to be Allen’s birth parents had brought a large group of children to the edge of the field, crying and complaining that "Allen was an unfilial son."
Yalilan frowned. "Can’t those people see that L is one of the Feinan People? It’s not as if there aren’t others with the sa na in the world. How can they be so certain L is *their* Allen?"
The Attendant replied, looking troubled, "They’re saying Mr. L might have changed his appearance by drinking a Magic Potion. Apparently, Allen used to talk about wanting to make himself look like one of the Feinan People?"
’What’s next, are they going to say he wanted to turn his skin blue?’ Baron scoffed internally.
Yalilan said angrily, "Allen’s dead, so there’s no one to refute them. They can say whatever they want!"
The Attendant said, "We told them. We even explained that Mr. L’s full na is L. Allen, not their Allen Vincent, but they just won’t believe us."
"Why are you even reporting this? Just have the guards drive them out."
Lewis was getting annoyed. L’s current identity papers bore his governnt’s official seal. Though he was known for being an approachable City Lord, that approachability had its limits depending on the person.
He knew these kinds of rabble-rousers all too well—people who use any pretext they can find to try and extort so money.
Besides, he was counting on using L to get in with Stephen. He couldn’t let this kind of nonsense derail things at such a critical juncture.
Hearing Lewis, the Attendant hesitated. "The guards are having trouble, my lord... Miss Triss is pulling Miss Redios along with her to block the way. She says she has to help them get justice."
Lewis’s expression changed. After a quick word of apology, he told the Attendant to lead the way.
Baron started to follow, but Yalilan stopped him, shaking her head. "L, I’m afraid this is a plot by the Iron Thorn Gang."
But Baron just smiled. "Perfect. Let’s see what kind of tricks they have up their sleeves."
Outside the canopy, the guards had pushed the crowd back to form a large circle.
An empty space was cleared in the middle, occupied by the familiar, large family: Mr. and Mrs. Allen and their children.
A green-haired girl and a girl with long, light-purple hair and a light veil over her face stood in front of the family, making the guards—who had intended to drive them away—hesitate, afraid to act rashly.
Lewis stood behind the guards. He looked like he wanted to say sothing, but seed to be holding back for so reason.
In the end, he simply ordered the guards to drive away the True Allen’s parents.
But the mont a guard moved, the green-haired girl glared at him. "You’ve forgotten who I am?"
The guard scratched his head and didn’t dare to advance.
From the guards’ expressions, Baron deduced that the green-haired girl must have a high status.
Baron also spotted Brother Sorrowful, Jangalel. He had squeezed through the crowd and into the circle, where he was now dramatically reciting so kind of angsty monologue with a deeply emotional expression.
Hearing his words, the surrounding onlookers shot surprised looks at the Glorious Knights who were also in the crowd to watch the drama unfold.
Their expressions seed to ask, "Are all of you in the Glorious Knight Order like this?"
"..."
The proud and self-respecting Glorious Knights felt they couldn’t bear the sha. They quietly averted their gazes, pretending not to know their honorary vice-commander, Jangalel Tristan.
Upon seeing Baron appear, soone in the crowd yelled, "I see him! I see Allen!"
A large group of people tried to surge forward, but the guards held them back.
But the mbers of the Allen Family, who had been hiding behind the two girls, were like pirates who had just discovered treasure. They imdiately shouted at him, "Allen!"
Miss Triss saw that the man himself had arrived and was about to speak, but was pulled back by Redios at her side.
Guards stepped forward, surrounding Allen’s parents and siblings who were trying to lunge at him.
Allen’s Mother stared past the spearheads, sobbing as she spoke. "Allen, my child, are you really going to abandon your family just because you ca from a humble background?"
Upon hearing this, the gamblers in the crowd who had lost money all started to condemn Baron.
Soone among them even shouted that Allen had to compensate them for their losses.
In response, a single glare from a nearby Demon Hunter was enough to make the man shut his mouth.
Seeing the situation, Lewis urgently tried to get Baron to leave, but Baron didn’t budge. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"
"You..."
Allen’s Mother, who had clearly prepared a speech as if from a script, was suddenly rendered speechless.
As the murmurs of condemnation started up again from the crowd, Baron spoke again. "Let ask you one thing: who collected the compensation paynt after your son, Allen, died?"
"What compensation paynt?" Allen’s parents played dumb. "We don’t know anything about that."
"You don’t know?"
Baron sneered. "Does that an you don’t acknowledge the fact that Allen is dead?"
Allen’s parents replied, "My child, aren’t you standing right here, perfectly fine? What’s all this talk of death...? Simmons, go on, call him your big brother."
The little boy Baron had previously given a Gold Coin Chocolate timidly stepped forward. "Brother Allen."
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