After giving Mozo a long, careful look and finding no flaws, the Chief Captain tightened his grip on the handshake and said,
"In that case, you're free to leave for now. If anything comes up later, we'll contact you."
At this point, it should have been over.
But Mozo spoke up instead.
"According to imperial law, I should have full ownership of all the spoils."
The Chief Captain froze for a moment, then suddenly realized what Mozo was referring to.
That law dated all the way back to the Cromwell era. After dissolving Parliament, Duke Cromwell had enacted it to encourage soldiers and Beyonders to fight bravely. It had never been formally abolished, but ever since Cromwell's downfall, no one had mentioned or enforced it.
And yet today, he was hearing it again.
The Chief Captain wanted to refuse, but he couldn't find a legally sound argument. From a legal standpoint, he had no way to stop Mozo. And with Miss Windsor standing right behind him, he had no confidence in exerting authority either.
After a moment of hesitation, he said,
"Those items… leaving aside everything else, I cannot give you the Beyonder characteristic of an elven master craftsman. While your claim is legally valid, you should understand that the elves would never allow their kind to be treated this way."
"However, I can't reject your claim outright either. How about this, I compensate you with gold pounds or other forms of equivalent value?"
Mozo nodded.
"That works. But the core of that automaton must be given to me intact. As for the rest, I can accept gold, real estate, or shares."
Seeing that Mozo was being reasonable, the Chief Captain visibly relaxed and nodded.
He had truly been worried that this young man would stubbornly demand both Sequence Five characteristics. The Shadow Mage was manageable, but the elven master craftsman would have been a serious problem.
The Empire was powerful, but it couldn't ignore the will of the elves. That craftsman's remains and Beyonder characteristic would almost certainly have to be returned intact. There was no way he could hand that over to Mozo.
Mozo, of course, understood this as well. Returning the Daedalus craftsman's remains to his homeland was something he actually supported. His demand had been both to secure his legal rights and to test how much the Empire had changed since the past.
Afterward, the Chief Captain personally escorted the three of them out of the Inspectorate. He also had the automaton's core retrieved and placed into a backpack.
As for the rest of the compensation, the amount involved was too large to settle immediately. After all, it involved two Sequence Five characteristics, the peak of what mortals could reach.
At that level, such items were essentially priceless. Anything higher would never even appear on the market. Those were the true foundations of major powers.
Mozo might have handled the situation smoothly earlier, but that was only because the two Sequence Five beings had been locked in conflict. Otherwise, even ten automatons wouldn't have saved him from a Shadow Mage.
Outside the Inspectorate, two carriages were already waiting. Both bore a crest of roses and triangles. Clearly, they belonged to the Windsor family.
Miss Windsor looked at Mozo with clear reluctance.
"Sir Knight, so much has happened tonight. I have to return home first, so I can't stay with you. But I promise, once I'm free, I'll come find you!"
She wanted to continue, but the knight beside her interrupted, leaning in to whisper,
"My lady, it's getting late. Please board the carriage."
Miss Windsor looked at her pitifully, tugging at the armored hand and pleading,
"Sister Molly, just let me talk to Sir Knight a little longer!"
The knight straightened her expression.
"My lady."
That one word was enough.
Miss Windsor knew there was no room for negotiation. She reluctantly boarded the carriage. As she did, Mozo noticed a faint silver glow appear around it.
Clearly, the carriage itself was a supernatural item.
Once Miss Windsor was inside, the knight turned to Mozo and said calmly,
"Mr. Mozo, I must inform you that the young lady will most likely not meet you again in the future."
Her meaning was obvious.
Miss Windsor's feelings were not subtle. Anyone with eyes could see them. And so, the classic problem of class difference appeared.
To cut off any future complications, the knight stated it plainly.
This wasn't arrogance. It was protection for both sides. And undoubtedly, it was in line with what Duke Windsor himself would decide.
Mozo paused for a moment, then smiled.
"That's a good thing."
The knight didn't reply immediately. She studied him carefully, confirming that he truly meant it. Only then did her stern expression soften into a relieved smile.
"So it's only the young lady's side, then."
At that, she suddenly dropped to one knee, placing a hand over her chest and bowing her head.
"Then please accept my sincere apology and gratitude. Forgive my unnecessary suspicion. And thank you for saving the young lady's life. The Rose family will never forget this debt."
Mozo stood still and accepted both her apology and her thanks without modesty.
After standing up, the knight took out a revolver from behind her back and handed it to him.
"You saved the young lady and made up for my failure. This is my personal token of thanks. A firearm transformed from a Sequence Five Beyonder characteristic, taken from the one who held me back."
"As for its details, I'm not entirely sure. It doesn't seem to be recorded in any of the major churches. But I've checked. It belongs to a righteous pathway, so it won't drive you mad or attract anything… unpleasant."
Hearing that, Mozo couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Tonight had truly been full of surprises.
From a penniless nobody to someone with wealth, connections to the authorities, ties to Duke Windsor, and now even a powerful Sealed Artifact.
His luck was simply outrageous.
But then the knight added,
"As for the cost of using it, each shot requires an offering of one hundred gold pounds or an equivalent. You can prepay, up to six shots."
Mozo froze.
The knight continued,
"Also, while the young lady likely won't meet you again, if you run into trouble in the future, you can contact me directly. If it's within my ability, I will help."
"You know the spirit world, right? This is the method to contact me through it."
She handed him a slip of paper.
Mozo didn't even remember how he took it.
Because his mind was already screaming:
One hundred gold pounds per shot?
One shot and I'm back to being broke?!
What kind of money-devouring monster is this thing?!