"... What?"
Turing furrowed her brows tightly.
She realized that the seriousness of the situation might exceed her imagination.
"Because Theresa is the last member of the Forbidden Orchestra, right?" Merka walked out of the shadow of the tunnel at the exit of the arena and spoke.
"Over twenty years ago, the Forbidden Orchestra traveled far and wide, fighting for justice."
"They have come into contact with too many secrets of major families."
"And Dragonkin Theresa... being the last surviving member of the Forbidden Orchestra, she knows too much."
"Her death implicates every single family."
"That's why this matter must be handled by the national court."
Merka stated her inference and smiled, giving a slight bow to Yanling.
Merka, who had undergone a month of training under Mammon and Samael in Erisburg, had become quite adept at noble etiquette.
"May I ask who you are...?"
Yanling's face was guarded as she stood in front of Turing, and she furrowed her brows slightly.
"He is my boyfri—"
Turing was about to explain, but was immediately interrupted by Merka.
Merka lifted up her jacket, revealing the Agio family emblem on her shirt.
"I am a staff member of the Agio family, also invited to participate in this criminal arbitration."
"Since the journey is far, let's travel together."
"Altria family..."
"Miss Perfect Cigar."
Merka smiled.
To Turing's joy, that smile still made her feel the same as the first time they met.
For a moment, Turing was stunned, to the point where she subconsciously agreed.
"Okay..."
——————————————————————————
"Have we arrived?"
"Yes, we can get off the carriage now."
Turing opened the carriage door and stepped down, a giant court, as white as snow, came into view.
Atalobos was the main city of the Montecristo family.
Rule of law, simplicity, and classicism were its synonyms.
This city not only excelled in classical arts, but also pursued excellence in the study of law.
The City of White Snow was not just a name.
It really was as pure and elegant as the white snow.
"Turing... we will divide our paths here."
"Lady Maria is summoning me."
Merka stood on the carriage, holding the door for Turing, one foot on the steps, and looked tenderly at Turing.
"Oh... okay."
Turing nodded.
"See you in court then."
Merka held the handle of the carriage door and leaned down, speaking to Turing who had already gotten off the carriage.
Leaning close to her ear, Merka deeply kissed Turing and whispered something in a tone that no outsider could hear.
"Take care of yourself."
Turing, still lost in the death of Theresa, was taken aback by this sentence.
She wanted to ask Merka about her plans.
But the carriage carrying Merka had already driven away again.
"Look who's here?"
"My little princess."
Before Turing could savor the implications of the kiss from Merka, cruel reality quickly pulled her back.
What came from behind Turing was a deep voice with the depth of a whale entering the tide and a sea of fire burying flowers, a voice that Turing would never forget.
"Turing."
"I heard you won first place in the horse race again, that's impressive."
"Adding up the points of a good child, it has accumulated more than two points."
"Originally, I wanted to kiss you properly as a thank you."
"But someone else took care of it."
"What's going on?"
With an uneasy heart, Turing turned around and found that standing there was none other than Oedipus.
Oedipus's slender smile seemed to conceal countless malicious intentions, as if wanting to tear apart the beauty in front of him.
Turing thought she should be afraid.
But she wasn't.
The kiss mark on her face seemed to be imprinted on her heart, radiating the glow of courage and resoluteness.
"Mom..."
"I should have introduced you earlier."
"That's my boyfriend."
Turing said with composure, neither pleased nor angered.
Oedipus was initially taken aback, looking at Turing's still childish face, and burst into laughter, unable to stop himself.
"You, oh you..."
Oedipus laughed as if she were a normal mother, laughing uncontrollably at her child's words, unable to straighten her back from laughter.
She held Turing's shoulder and gently patted her, as if reproaching Turing for saying such a ridiculous thing.
"...Who do you think you are?"
Oedipus suddenly stopped her gentle smile, shooting a fierce light from her deep eyes.
"Did I ask you about those things?"
"Do I have an obligation to deal with your emotional problems?"
"Everything you have is given by me, it's all borrowed from me."
"Do you think you can learn magic that others spend their whole lives trying to reach, with your dim-witted brain?"
"If it weren't for the angelic blood I passed down to you..."
"You would have died several times over by now."
"What qualifications do you have to stand here and talk to me?"
Oedipus's sudden ferocity startled Turing.
Her hands and feet trembled once again, her pupils flattened, and even the dark circles that had already faded seemed to deepen.
[Mom... does she already know that I know those secrets?]
[What does she still not know?]
Irresistibly, Turing once again found that feeling she had every time she faced Oedipus as a child.
Terror, anxiety, and helplessness.
"It's too late for rebellion now, Turing."
Oedipus, around 1.7 meters tall, crouched down, leaning over Turing, and pointed to the sky.
"You see," Turing looked up at the sky, where a sparse but orderly arrangement of magicians held their wands, creating a complex network of spells that covered the entire area.
"Do you still want to escape from me again?"
"There's no chance anymore."
"The magician Kebab has sealed off this area."
"You have no choice."
"Why not just surrender everything to me now and obediently listen to me?"
"I will offer you a relatively acceptable outcome."
Oedipus stood up and dusted himself off.
"After the trial is over, I will take you away."
"In any case, it is only right for me to bring you back."
"No one will help you."
"Before that, think carefully about what I said."
Oedipus smiled slightly at Turing and left.
After a long silence, Turing remembered that the trial was about to begin.
Her mechanical body seemed to have finally regained power as she walked with stiff and slow steps towards the courtroom.
