At the Fontaine branch of the House of the Hearth, Lyney and Lynette were preparing for their next magic performance. Suddenly, they sensed something amiss. Their eyes sharpened as they focused on a corner of the room.
At some point, a figure had materialized there, shrouded in darkness that concealed most of their body.
When Lyney and Lynette saw this figure, their tense expressions visibly relaxed. They bowed their heads and addressed the figure with reverence:
"Father."
Hearing these words filled with respect and awe, the Knave Arlecchino opened her eyes but remained silent.
The oppressive pressure in the room forced Lyney and Lynette to lower their heads further. Unnoticed beads of sweat had begun to trickle down their foreheads, sliding slowly along their temples.
As long as Arlecchino did not speak, Lyney and Lynette kept their heads bowed.
After what felt like an eternity, Arlecchino finally spoke in a cold voice:
"Lyney, you have failed in your duties."
"Yes, Father."
Lyney offered no defense, accepting Arlecchino's rebuke without argument.
Arlecchino's gaze softened slightly as she looked at Lyney. She rose from her seat and slowly approached him and Lynette.
The shifting light from Lyney's magical preparations cast eerie shadows across Arlecchino's figure, making her appear like a flickering specter.
As the heavy footsteps drew nearer, Lyney and Lynette's breathing quickened.
Arlecchino halted mere paces from Lyney, yet the pressure they felt reached its zenith.
Father is angry, both thought simultaneously.
"My child, your brother—Lofan Shenayevich—was ensnared in a conspiracy and lost his life. Why have you still not uncovered the mastermind behind this scheme?"
"Lyney, as my successor, your current performance disappoints me," Arlecchino said softly, though her words carried an icy chill that made both children tense.
"I'm sorry, Father. I'll find the true killer of our brother immediately."
"Lyney has been fully committed to gathering intelligence recently, Father," Lynette added.
Lynette sensed Lyney's precarious position and couldn't help but speak up in his defense. Lyney, fearing Arlecchino might vent her anger on Lynette, hastily called out to stop her.
Yet Arlecchino didn't rebuke them. Instead, her gaze softened further.
"Lyney, remember this always: we are [ family ]."
"The blood of [ family ] must be repaid with blood."
"I'll give you more time. Don't disappoint me this time."
"Yes, [ Father ]!"
Both Lyney and Lynette responded to Arlecchino, but received no acknowledgment.
After a long silence, they finally looked up to find Arlecchino had vanished without a trace...
Fontaine.
The number of victims continued to rise, the news sweeping through Fontaine like a gale-force wind.
Before the Maison Gardiennage could investigate the latest corpse, another victim appeared.
This time, Lofan's luck held - his new body was conveniently in Fontaine. After hiding his money, he repeated his previous method: evading the guards' blockade, ascending to a high point, and leaping.
Of course, no one except Lofan knew the true reason behind this.
On the same day, within an incredibly short time frame, two separate jump incidents occurred—even as the Maison Gardiennage had intensified their surveillance efforts. This left them feeling utterly humiliated, as if they'd been slapped across the face with a burning brand.
The culprit's actions were undoubtedly the greatest insult and provocation to the Maison Gardiennage. While their anger was justified, they genuinely felt utterly lost in how to proceed with the investigation.
However, subsequent investigations finally revealed why these two individuals had managed to pass through the guards' searches undetected: their bodies carried no cloaks inscribed with mysterious phrases.
But this discovery only made matters worse, didn't it?!
This meant that ordinary citizens of Fontaine might have been driven to suicide by the recent spate of violent crimes, or worse, that some twisted individual was emulating the serial suicide case's true mastermind, creating additional victims beyond the original pattern.
Fortunately, they eventually found new, cryptic messages on the victims' clothing, which brought some relief to the Maison Gardiennage. If multiple cases had become intertwined, it would have made the original serial suicide case even more convoluted. Though truth be told, the situation remained far from resolved.
Now that they knew the killer had changed tactics, the Maison Gardiennage intensified their search efforts. This move sparked widespread discontent among Fontaine's citizens, flooding the complaint mailbox with grievances.
Though overwhelmed by the flood of complaints, the Maison Gardiennage felt it was worth it as long as no new victims appeared.
Just as they thought this, another victim emerged.
This time, the sentence corresponding to the bloodied letter wasn't found on the deceased's body, but written in blood at the spot where they had jumped.
The Maison Gardiennage was at its wits' end. The recurring deaths eroded public trust in the force. Even the Hydro Archon Furina personally confronted them, noting the dwindling crowds cheering for her during her public appearances, and demanded they solve the case immediately.
The Maison Gardiennage was stretched thin. They wanted to solve the case too—wasn't it simply impossible?!
With no other choice, they sealed off all access to elevated areas to prevent further victims. Anyone needing to ascend would be accompanied by two guards who watched their every move like hawks, ready to intervene at any suspicious behavior.
The pressure reached critical levels!
While numerous other locations remained vulnerable, at least this prevented deaths near the Palais Mermonia from dominating the headlines.
Moreover, the Maison Gardiennage suspected the killer was targeting them specifically, choosing to commit the suicides near Palais Mermonia rather than elsewhere.
If the killer had chosen another location, they might have left behind new clues.
After issuing this directive, Fontaine indeed remained quiet for several days with no new victims. This allowed the Maison Gardiennage to breathe a sigh of relief and focus on investigating the details of previous deaths, hoping to piece together the complex clues and apprehend the true culprit.
However, the peace didn't last long as new victims soon reappeared...