Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

Before Luke met the person who bailed him out, he first met Silas in the hallway.

There was a look on the Warden’s face that he could read. Silas knew Luke since birth, so some sympathy was involved, but he had a job to do and couldn’t let that bias get in the way.

He had warned Luke to stay away from dungeons, and Luke had disobeyed him, so he reconciled himself to the fact that Luke deserved this treatment for being disobedient.

"Your aunt posted your bail," Silas said. "She’s heard enough stories about you nearly getting yourself killed, and she’s decided you’re safer staying with her for a while."

"What... my aunt? You mean Roselyn?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"Duchess Roselyn," Silas corrected, but that made it worse because it confirmed that it was Luke’s stepmother who had bailed him out.

No wonder High General Oswald had been grinning from ear to ear. He knew what Luke’s reaction would be.

Getting out of the Bureau was one thing. Going to Roselyn, of all people, was another. If Luke had a choice, he’d take the former, proving Oswald right that he’d prefer staying here. Why not? He didn’t know what his sly aunt had in store for him.

While Luke processed the information, a female officer hurried over to them and corrected: The person making the bail wasn’t Mrs. Kingsley. It was Mr. Blackstone.

"Blackstone?" Silas asked. "Are you sure? Could they be making the bail for someone else?"

"I’m sure, Warden," the officer replied duteously, but she also looked nervous because the hallway suddenly felt tense and uncomfortable.

The situation was confusing because Silas was expecting Roselyn to make the bail, and assumed she was the person at their doorstep. Luke seemed just as confused as everyone else, while Oswald furrowed his brows.

Nobody had mentioned another important person coming. Roselyn had told them she would arrive, pay Luke’s bail, and take him away. Could she have asked Mr. Blackstone to handle it on her behalf? It was possible, but she should have informed Silas on the phone.

With so much uncertainty, Silas led the way to find out what was going on, leaving the female officer afraid there might be fire on the mountain.

They arrived at the lobby where payments and paperwork are processed to see Mr. Blackstone at the counter finishing his signatures.

When he saw them coming, he didn’t shake; he was only pleased that they brought Luke along.

He also noticed the troubled looks on both Silas and Oswald’s faces, so he started the conversation himself.

"Don’t you think 2.3 million is a little steep for an eighteen-year-old? Or was the Bureau hoping nobody would be able to pay it?"

"Mr. Blackstone, first, welcome to our headquarters," Silas replied. "But crimes aren’t judged by age. Luke may be a good lad, but he’s accused of some serious offenses and should face the right consequences. Why are you here to bail him out?"

Blackstone shrugged while Luke and officers nearby watched the interaction.

"Why am I here to bail him out? Then what’s the purpose of ’bail’?"

"The Duchess was already going to bail him out. You have no business involving yourself in this!"

The High General had already lost his patience at the doorway. Now, he wanted to brute his way through this conversation, but Mr. Blackstone couldn’t be intimidated. In fact, Oswald’s words piqued his interest, and he became more pesky by the minute.

"That’s interesting, isn’t it?" he asked. "Reserving bail for someone when anyone is free to pay it. Isn’t the Duchess the same woman who banished Luke? Do you really think he’s safe in her hands?"

"He’s her nephew. The Bureau gives priority to bail from family members before outsiders."

Silas replied, but Mr. Blackstone smirked, saying something that broke their defense: "Unless Luke isn’t a Kingsley anymore?"

Meanwhile, Luke stood in the background innocently. He was surprised that Mr. Blackstone had come all the way to the Bureau’s HQ to bail him out, but he also wanted to know how the man was aware of what happened.

Also, what was Silas and Oswald’s deal? His bailor was here. They were supposed to let him go.

They clearly preferred Roselyn to take him, and Luke couldn’t help wondering whether that had been planned from the beginning.

If they knew his aunt was coming, then allowing her to take him away meant there were a lot of things under the rug Luke wasn’t aware of.

Adrian could have told her about his strength and everything he had accomplished so far after returning to the academy.

And if Roselyn saw Luke as a threat to both of them as Kingsleys, she could kill him, cripple his soul, or do something else that would make sure he could never become a problem for the family again.

Mr. Blackstone continued as if he had read Luke’s mind.

"So is corruption starting to creep into the Bureau? I thought this place was supposed to be neutral. No family should interfere with how you handle a case. I paid the bail first. Luke has no family member here claiming him, so the surety gets custody. Isn’t that how it works?"

Everybody understood, yet no one answered. The Bureau had put itself in a position where it could no longer justify keeping Luke.

High General Oswald was ready to keep arguing and delay long enough for Roselyn to arrive, but Silas yielded to Mr. Blackstone.

If they kept Luke after his bail had been paid because they were waiting for a noblewoman to arrive, then they would be giving Blackstone the exact evidence he needed to question the Bureau’s neutrality.

"Release Luke to Mr. Blackstone’s custody," the Warden said.

************

The first thing Luke did was thank Mr. Blackstone, but just like before, Mr. Blackstone acted as if helping Luke was an obligation, not a favor.

Luke asked him how he knew what happened, and Mr. Blackstone explained that Scarlett called his daughter, Lucy, for help, and Lucy asked him to help since he had the power to do so.

Hearing that pleased Luke.

Scarlett cared so much that she had gone that far for him and made sure he came out unharmed.

He couldn’t help thinking about what would have happened if Roselyn had reached the Bureau first.

Roselyn was the summoner of the Herculean Octopus, a beast ranked Ancient-after-evolving-from-Elder.

Luke didn’t want anything to do with a beast of that scale...

Mr. Blackstone offered to take Luke to the Blackstone residence, and Luke agreed since Scarlett knew he would be there.

After all, the Blackstone castle might be the safest place in the city for him after what just happened.