LDPL | Chapter 78

Chapter 78

At dawn, Ivan half-carried Norman, who could barely keep his eyes open, as they descended the cliff.

They stopped to catch their breath at a small inn on the outskirts of the Count of Orléans’ territory, where Norman had booked a room.

Norman, exhausted, reached into his bag and pulled something out.

“Senior, is that a magic tool?”

“Yes. We need to check what data we’ve retrieved, don’t we?”

Right. Depending on the outcome, all their struggles over the past two days would either be worth it—or completely in vain.

A magic tool, no larger than a fingernail, appeared in Norman’s palm.

It was a type commonly used in magic towers or arcane factories to store data.

Without hesitation, he inserted it into a pre-prepared output device.

Whirrr.

A faint mechanical sound hummed as a long, cylindrical device spun and projected an image into the air.

Countless semi-transparent parchment sheets filled the room. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

Natasha reached out and tapped one of the floating pages. Instantly, a new message appeared in front of them.

[LOCKED]

Natasha’s expression twisted in frustration.

“It’s encrypted?”

Even Norman hadn’t expected that. He swallowed a small groan.

The password entry field suggested a four-digit code. However, there was no way they could know what it was.

“Should we try entering everything from 0000 to 9999?”

“These kinds of magic tools usually reset the document after five incorrect attempts. If that happens, there’s no way to recover it.”

“Then how are we supposed to figure out the password? Should we go back and ask them what it is?”

Natasha’s joke fell flat. Norman remained deep in thought.

“This magic tool most likely belonged to the Chief Supervisor personally. So if we knew numbers he frequently used—like a birthdate—it would be helpful… Or, wizards tend to favor numbers like 3 and 5. We could try combinations of those.”

While Natasha and Norman racked their brains, Ivan remained silent.

For some reason, he had a feeling he knew Edwin’s password.

He reached out and tapped one of the documents.

[LOCKED]
[Please enter the password.]
[0239]

Beep!

[First incorrect attempt.]

“Ivan?”

“What are you doing?!”

Despite their shocked voices, Ivan immediately tried a second attempt.

[LOCKED]
[Please enter the password.]
[0630]

Beep!

[Access granted.]

At the same time, the document he had touched unraveled into individual pages.

The sheets spun around him in a mesmerizing display.

“What? What the hell?”

“H-How did you do that? How did you guess the password in just two tries?!”

Ivan shrugged.

“It’s just a birthday.”

“A birthday…? How could you possibly know the Chief Supervisor’s birthday?”

“Turns out it’s the same as mine.”

Ivan and Natasha exchanged quick glances. June 30th. The day Natasha had rescued them from the laboratory.

Most children born in the lab never knew their real birthdays. Their personal records had been destroyed along with the facility.

So, they had chosen that day—the day they began their new lives—as their birthday.

‘I thought he had forgotten…’

Unlike the others, Edwin had run away. Ivan never imagined he would still hold onto that date.

“How did you know?”

Natasha asked in a clipped tone, cutting straight to the point. But Ivan understood instantly.

“There’s no way I could forget.”

He responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I found it!”

Just then, Norman suddenly shouted.

“A report on the hazardous materials being handled in that factory, records of the deaths and injuries so far… And even proof that, due to a lack of proper disposal facilities, they’ve been secretly dumping waste into the nearby river!”

The topic of birthdays was quickly forgotten. Norman was practically glowing with excitement. Ivan had never seen him this animated before.

“This is perfect. We can file the lawsuit as early as tomorrow!”

“Congratulations, junior. Oh, but we might be questioned about the source of the documents. Let’s just say an internal whistleblower leaked them.”

Illegally obtained evidence wasn’t admissible in court. But what could they do?

As long as no one found out that the person who broke into the factory was their own legal representative, they could just claim to have received an anonymous tip.

“And don’t forget to include the Jeanette Bakery incident in the case. Also, mention that the law firm upstairs suffered so much damage that their medical bills alone cost at least 2,000 gold.”

Just thinking about the hefty compensation made all their hardships feel worthwhile.

Norman gave Natasha a look of disbelief.

“…Regardless, thank you for everything, Senior.”

“No big deal. You’ll have to handle the trial on your own now.”

“That’s fine. I’ll manage somehow.”

We’ll see.

Natasha smiled subtly, unseen by him. Would things really go as he hoped?

Norman seemed to believe that the sheer number of commoner victims would be enough to defeat the aristocrat-controlled Magic Tower.

‘But the laws of the Illyhad Empire are harsh on commoners.’

The law was unforgiving even to nobles—but to commoners, it was downright brutal. Could a single lawyer really overturn such a reality?

Inside a carriage speeding toward the capital, Ivan kept dry-heaving while Natasha absently fiddled with her fingertips.

“Ugh…”

Staring blankly at the trees rushing past the window, Natasha eventually knocked and asked the coachman to change their destination.

“Where to?”

“Blanche… No, take us to the House of Duke Richard.”

At the mention of the ruler of the East, Duke Richard, the coachman flinched instinctively. But he quickly regained his composure and flicked the reins.

Clack.

As the small window to the driver’s seat closed, Ivan turned his pale face toward Natasha.

“Why… the Duke of Richard?”

“I need to discuss the trial.”

“Ugh. But what about… the junior… Urk!”

“He wouldn’t want any involvement from nobles. I know.”

His gaze, filled with unspoken questions, asked why she was still going to see the duke anyway. Natasha turned her head away.

“I hate nobles. Some aren’t bad, but most are arrogant and insufferable.”

Lately, she had only dealt with more reasonable clients. But in the past, many nobles had treated her, a commoner, with outright disdain.

“Maybe it’s just my inferiority complex. Either way, I don’t like our junior, either. He looks every bit the clueless noble brat.”

Natasha despised people who were naïve about the world—those with lofty ideals but no grasp of reality.

“…The lawsuit is going to fail. At this rate.”

“But the evidence is so clear!”

“Even so, we’ll lose.”

Natasha was certain.

The legal system here was at least 30 years behind what the general public perceived.

Laws inherently resisted change.

The rise of the bourgeoisie in the capitalist era had only happened in the past 50 years. The law had yet to fully reflect that reality.

“Commoners’ lives hold little value against nobles’ economic interests.”

To the aristocracy, commoners were nothing more than pests swarming the streets. Why should their lives matter?

“As I said, I don’t like our junior. He’s annoying and full of misguided idealism. But still… We need at least one lawyer like him.”

A lawyer who fights for the common people. Who strives to change the world.

He was still inexperienced, but he couldn’t be allowed to break here.

“Anyway, I’m just a greedy lawyer chasing money, right? So I need to make sure we win—if only to get my compensation.”

That was all there was to it.

Of course, Natasha and Ivan had built an immunity to the toxins, so they weren’t actually harmed. But they had eaten the contaminated bread, so they could demand compensation.

“I’ll make sure we get a hefty settlement.”

How much was the Magic Tower’s annual budget again?

“It’s been a while, Natasha.”

“Chloe.”

“I was recovering in the East. Thank you for coming all this way.”

Even though Chloe could have considered the sudden visit impolite, she welcomed Natasha warmly.

It had been about two and a half months since Chloe divorced Mikhail, and she didn’t have much time left.

Her already pale complexion had become even more ashen, and her once-proud silver hair had lost its luster.

Though covered by a light dress, her wrists looked so thin they might snap at any moment.

‘She doesn’t seem to be in good health.’

Natasha silently assessed her condition.

“I recall you saying you wanted to travel, but you’ve been staying in the East for quite a while. If you’d like, I could arrange a gathering for divorced women in the capital.”

“I appreciate the offer, but for now, I plan to stay in the East. With no mistress in the house, it’s difficult for me to leave.”

It was no secret that ever since Estelle had returned to the country, Claude had been persistently courting her.

Before their marriage, Estelle had followed Claude around, but now the roles were reversed, which was somewhat amusing.

“Is Mikhail bothering you?”

“A little.”

Oh dear. Natasha wasn’t even related to him, yet she felt too embarrassed to lift her head.

Despite having been divorced for cheating with another woman, he still shamelessly sought out Chloe. If nothing else, his thick skin far surpassed even that of Duke Petrov.

Even Duke Petrov hadn’t dared to approach Madam Olga after his infidelity was exposed.

“Are you here to see Claude? He’s still in a meeting, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“I didn’t come specifically to see anyone. I just have something to discuss.”

“If that’s the case, you’re welcome to discuss it with me.”

Natasha took a moment to choose her words. Since this issue had occurred in the East, it was bound to be a sensitive topic for them.

“You must have received reports that grains harvested in the Viscount Bastia, Count Orléans, and Baron Saint-Pierre territories are causing abnormal symptoms.”

“…We were trying to handle that quietly. I didn’t expect to hear about it this way.”

As expected, there was no way the Richard family wouldn’t have been aware of the situation.

“It won’t be easy to keep it quiet. A formal lawsuit is going to be filed.”

Chloe’s expression turned cold.

“Is that a declaration of war?”

“It’s not me. It’s my junior.”

Of course, Natasha had helped with gathering evidence, but she swallowed those words.

At that, Chloe’s expression softened slightly.

“Did you come to warn us in advance? How kind of you.”

“No. Quite the opposite.”

Natasha felt sorry for Claude and Chloe, who would have preferred to handle this incident quietly, but the likelihood of that happening was slim.

“I came to ask you to make sure the Mage Tower loses that lawsuit.”