Still, I guess that it did essentially beg the question from Erhard.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I think it's quite obvious," Aultcray said, snorting. "What I see here are two fortune-seekers who are taking advantage of an innocent young boy's naivety and sticking their noses where it shouldn't belong."
I wanted to retort, though Erhard beat me to the punch.
"I find it strange, coming from you, given I see that you're trying your best to indirectly embezzle all of his rightful inheritance," Erhard said calmly, to which Aultcray had an ugly look on his face in response.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Aultcray said. "There are certain... assets that were not his originally speaking, and instead are family property. I am merely trying to ensure that they are distributed fairly as per family and legal custom, that is all."
Fohl got up to say something, though I put a hand to his chest and waved him down.
After all, we didn't need things to be getting bad or going south at any point. At least, not from him.
"I think you'll find that we contest that point," Erhard said. "And we are merely trying to look after Fohl's best interests here."
"And this just so happens to involve taking over his assets?" Aultcray asked, sneering. "How very convenient."
"We could say the same about you," I retorted, unable to help myself. He glared at me venomously, whether from personal or professional hatred I couldn't tell- though I had to admit that with Fohl, it was pretty much both.
"Don't even get me started on you, boy, if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't want my family's name dragged through the mud, I would've thrown the book at you a long time ago," Aultcray snarled. There wasn't a shred of evidence against me of course, and after all this time he'd have a hard time proving anything, though with Japan's legal system and the way that criminal law worked he could cause me no end of grief if he so wished.
"I doubt that you had anything substantial, else you would've said something," Erhard said. "Sounds like a 'he said, she said' sort of thing, doesn't it? And what does that have to do with the matter we are here for? It doesn't change that fact, now then does it?"
Aultcray looked like he wanted to retort, though to my surprise, he took a deep breath, exhaled and said, "These are some rather new developments. It's going to take me and my team some time to go over them."
Erhard looked like he wanted to protest- we'd been waiting for quite a while just for them to show up, after all. However, there was no real way for us to decline them, their request was not totally unreasonable, and so we could do nothing but agree.
And with that, the day was over.
"What do you think they're going to do next?" I asked Erhard.
After things were done, we left and regrouped in the same shop. Fohl and Atla had unreadable expressions- though I'm sure that inwardly they thought that 'this was a total waste of time.'
"Probably some sort of strange legal wizardry to screw us over," Erhard said. "Though, whatever they throw at us, we'll overcome it, won't we, kiddo?"
"Yeah," I said.
Erhard raised an eyebrow. "I usually don't see your face downcast, kid, what's going on?"
He seemed to pick up on the fact that I was bothered with something.
"Well, the issue with... that woman... do you think that he'll really drudge that up again?"
It was the one thing that worried me- I had just weathered the storm what felt like yesterday, and I didn't want to see things get worse.
"Eh, he might honestly..." Erhard said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "But... there are already things that are one and one with it, aren't' they? And if he brings it up again, ah..."
There hadn't been much in the form of legal or criminal charges at the time. I told him as such.
"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Fohl asked. "There's something else going on?"
"Yeah, it turns out that I happen to know your uncle from before,' I told him. "Or at least, I knew about him. Never met him in person. But we do have some sort of history..."
"Oh? What kind?"
"I uh..." I fumbled a little with describing things. But I got the Cliff Notes version out to the tow of them.
"What?!" Fohl muttered in shock.
He seemed to be unable to believe it. "How's something like that happen...?"
"You tell me," I said to him. "Seems unfathomable to me as well."
Atla then grabbed onto my hand. "Don't worry, I wouldn't be like that witch at all, we would be together forever!"
"I appreciate the insults to her character, but again, you're a kid," I told her.
"So what happens now?"
"We wait for them to make their move. Though hopefully, we ended up causing so much of a nuisance that he simply gives up."
"Hopefully."
"Well, then, do you kids have a way back home?"
"Of course we do!"
It was already late in the evening, so there wasn't much else for us to do but pack up and leave.
As I laid down, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.
That guy didn't seem like the type who would let things slide so easily. Nah, he looked more like a supervillain who you might see on Saturday morning cartoons who had kidnapped the mayor and was planning to nuke the city or something like that.
Despite what Erhard had said, I had a feeling that he would plow on regardless.
Headstrong people were so difficult to deal with.
Then again, what was my alternative going to be here?
To not help out Fohl just because of his threats?
I felt like I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror were I to do that.
And if I could go back in time, would I have decided to avoid this? Maybe, but it was too late now. The die had been cast already!