act29side

Marlies is a student of an Arts spire. She claims to have heard some noise at the scene, and was able to determine it contained some sort of rhythm, only... she can't exactly remember it.

With heavy Arts books propped on her head, she works to maintain her balance, expressing that this is an effective method for recalling one's memories.

How about this, do you remember what you were doing when you heard the noise?

I was heading home at the time, trying to squeeze my way through the crowd watching the performance.

There were so many people there. I knew I shouldn't have gone out to buy sausages in the evening, even the shopkeeper was drunk... Well, that's when I heard that dreadful noise—Ah!

Just as she was excitedly describing the situation, a book slides off her head and crashes onto her shoulder, falling open. A schedule slips free of the pages and floats down, every inch of it <color=#d41f1f>crammed full with various tasks</color>, all related to studying Originium Arts.

Do you all face such pressure to study?

Pressure?

Well... teachers always say that climbing the spire is a long and arduous journey, and that many scholars never make it into the palace of knowledge. Every week, there's always some 'lacking students' leaving the spire. Given that I'm an Edler, I gotta put in effort if I want to remain here.

She scratches her head and smiles brightly at the end of her explanation. <color=#d41f1f>She's quite optimistic</color>. I can help her remember.

Could it be that... you used the excuse of buying sausages to sneak out and relax?

Eh... You guessed it! I had a report due the next day, but couldn't figure out what to write at all, so I decided to buy a sausage and relax. Sausages are great! After that... I don't know why, but I felt really inspired after I went back, and I felt way better.

At the time of the incident, the subject was facing heavy pressure to study when <color=#d41f1f>a perfectly timed and delectable sausage brought her mood back up</color>. Recreate her emotions with the proper music of the heart. <color=#d41f1f>Perhaps worldly desires are more suitable, given her enjoyment of delicious food</color>.

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

As the melody reveals, you were feeling great after snacking on a sausage. Do you recall it now?

...Ah! Now I remember! I was chewing on my sausage as I walked, when all of a sudden that noise rang out, then... someone bumped into me! I was fine, but my sausage wasn't! The person who bumped into me wanted to apologize by singing me a song right then and there... So the noise wasn't the source of the rhythm.

Marlies went back to the spire to continue her studies. No useful information was garnered from her, and this line of investigation was closed.

Fischer was a gendarme of Lutonshof. He claimed to have caught the agitator causing the noises red-handed at the charity concert at the factory area, but the well-prepared perpetrator managed to escape. He intended to request additional men for the investigation because of this.

I waited ten minutes before he finally finished his conversation and gave a cursory salute to the envelope in my hand, never once looking me directly in the eye.

I came regarding the matter we discussed earlier. Can you describe the agitators in detail?

Was I not clear enough? It was a Witch King cultist who wielded powerful Arts, which allowed him to escape. These commotions were clearly carefully planned. There is nothing else I can reveal, because I have my own investigation to conduct, Herr Detective.

He straightened his collar and prepared to leave. The authorities paying increasing attention to the Witch King's remnants has led many low-level Gendarmerie to see catching cultists as a chance for promotion, playing up even the slightest rumor.

There's another question. How did you find the agitator?

H-How? Ahem... he was hiding in the crowd, fiddling with his Arts under his dirty robes, making sacrilegious sounds.

He might fool the others, but he could never fool me! He wouldn't have gotten away if I were even a little faster!

There was clear anxiety in his eyes. <color=#d41f1f>He was unprepared for my questions.</color>

Can you describe the chase and capture?

I... I chased after him while guarding against his Arts. He tried everything to stop my progress, but I charged forward with no regard for my own safety. Then he... yes, he turned all of a sudden, and hid himself in... where was it...

Listen, I don't have time for this. I need to get on this case right now!

At the time of the incident, the subject may have been <color=#d41f1f>chasing an agitator</color> as he claimed, but he was definitely <color=#d41f1f>dreaming about a bright future for himself.</color>

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

The melody reveals that you were thrilled about the bright future waiting for you. Could it have affected your performance in the chase? A little investigation should reveal the truth.

Wait! Please, wait! We can talk about it... as long as you don't tell anyone else.

I... I was chasing a thief, not a Witch King cultist, and he got away. I couldn't... you understand, don't you? I trust you... just continue your investigation and pretend nothing happened. Deal?

I ignored his pleading and reported his false reporting to the Gendarmerie. No useful information was garnered from him, and this line of investigation was closed.

Kristin is a Gendarmerie squad commander stationed in Fortschrittshof. She is regarded as highly competent, and slated for a promotion very soon. Soon after I began my investigation in Fortschritt, she found me and demanded that I stop my investigation. She was responsible for security on that day, and I did not reveal my true identity in order to find out what her true goal was.

Her attitude was professional, irreproachable, but lacked material evidence for her warning.

Thank you for the kind advice, but I've spent time and effort on this... I deserve to know what I'm facing, at least, don't you think?

I'm not allowed to talk about it... all I can tell you is that this isn't something you should poke your nose into. It's for your own good.

While these incidents had garnered public attention, <color=#d41f1f>few rank-and-file enforcers of the law knew their true significance. </color>Was she trying to appeal to my empathy with sincerity? Perhaps I could ride along.

Well... I've had some progress in my investigation, and it's true that there seems to be something dangerous involved. For example, I'm sure you noticed the unusual smell at the scene...

S-Smell? Well... you've gotten pretty far. You're better than I thought, which is why you ought to understand my warning.

She reacted quickly, but I made up the smell thing on the spot. <color=#d41f1f>She was not at the scene when the incident occurred.</color>

One more little thing. All indications are pointing towards someone inside the Gendarmerie. After all, security was heightened that day!

That's just an unsubstantiated hypothesis! This has nothing to do with the Gendarmerie! The noise was because... because... what do you know? Spit it out, or I'll force it out of you!

At the time of the incident, the subject was away from her post without permission. <color=#d41f1f>The sudden noise made her panic. </color>Was she worried about her <color=#d41f1f>career</color>? Or could it be...

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

The melody reveals that you were away from your post without permission that day. Perhaps we can talk about your actions that day, without this becoming public knowledge.

Fine, I'll tell you what I was doing. But I won't be blackmailed. You can tell whoever you want... some Infected youths had snuck out of their community and came to the venue without permission. I could not allow them to fall into the hands of other Gendarmerie, so I took them to the Gendarmerie's rest area, where they would have a good view of the concert. Then...

I decided to keep quiet about Kristin's actions that night. No useful information was garnered from her, and this line of investigation was closed.

Helmut is a skilled sculptor who made statues for Das Kaiserinnensfest at Lutonshof's industrial area. He was seen acting abnormally at the scene of the concert, crying loudly, and was arrested by the Gendarmerie on suspicion of public disturbance. It was later found that he had no employment permit, adding to the suspicions surrounding him.

He looked surprisingly calm in the Gendarmerie interrogation room.

Herr Helmut? I have a few questions. What were you doing at the time of the incident?

I was looking along the road for my lost chisel, trying to find it before the concert ended. After I heard the dissonance, the Gendarmerie appeared, saying that I looked suspicious and that they were taking me in for questioning.

There was no change in his expression. He came from a family of sculptors, and his grandfather was a guest at many spires, but <color=#d41f1f>the family went into decline after being rejected by high society due to their commoner status</color> following the ascendance of the Twin Empresses.

Looks like you could have cleared your suspicion by explaining yourself. What happened?

They asked me what I lost. I described my chisel, adorned with garnet and obsidian, passed down to me from my father. They said someone like me couldn't possibly possess such an object, and that they were taking me away.

He gave a meek laughed and bowed his head. I realized that he was not so much calm as simply numb.

Why did you cry? Did something happen?

No, there was no confrontation, nothing... I just saw the growing crowd and realized I might never see my chisel again.

If I can't work, I won't get paid, which means I couldn't buy suppressants... I started crying, and the Gendarmerie arrested me.

The subject was <color=#d41f1f>looking for his lost chisel</color> at the time of the incident, and <color=#d41f1f>cried when he realized he could not find it.</color>

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

The melody reveals that you had nothing to do with the noise. I sympathize with what happened to you... I'm sorry that you couldn't find what was lost.

My chisel was a gift from a noble to my grandfather. He was the best in town.

When the city was renamed Zwillingstürme, my father was kicked out of the spires, and I was ejected by the atelier. I had to work in the shadows, like some kind of pest or vermin... I don't understand why...

I secured Helmut's release, but he was a broken man. No useful information was garnered from him, and this line of investigation was closed.

Rauch is a flower vendor who often wanders the streets and was at the concert. Perhaps she noticed something unusual, but there were also rumors that she was missing a few screws, as it were. Any information obtained from her must be treated with care.

She stood before a blooming wall of flowers, a flower basket in hand, seemingly waiting for someone.

Excuse me, do you remember anything about what happened at the time of the incident? Did you see anything unusual?

Pardon me, sir, but my eyes can no longer see your face, or whatever is reflected in your eyes. That concert was no different from any other in Leithanien, the music blossoming like the flowers on this wall.

Only then did I notice a shadow like a mist shrouding her eyes. Her blindness has gone unnoticed as she showed no sign of incapacitation. I was about to leave, but I felt a remarkable aura from her that compelled me to continue asking.

Could you try to remember if there was anything unusual? Even just a sound?

I was tending to the flowers that day. There are many flowers here, every one beautiful... no need to be anxious. Perhaps there is one here that will catch your eye.

She lifted her flower basket, and the flowers inside smiled at me. For some reason, I found my gaze drawn to a <color=#d41f1f>golden flower</color>.

Do you... remember what you were doing? Maybe I can help you remember.

A couple bought the last flower in my basket, a rose filled with love. The joyful rose bloomed on their faces. My basket was empty, so I looked around. Oh... it was him...

A flower emerged from the bushes, but he was wilting. I felt tears streak across my cheeks...

The subject used flowers as analogy for her psychological state. <color=#d41f1f>She saw a wilting flower and wept for it.</color>

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

The melody reveals that you discovered a special truth and felt sad about it. Do you remember anything more specific?

A golden flower, swaying in the storm far away. Branches wilt and flowers fall. The time has come, and he no longer hears the call...

I bought the marigold from the flower vendor. Perhaps there was a deeper meaning behind her words, but I could not decipher it.

Harman is an ordinary citizen who is somewhat well-known in certain circles. He wanders the city and hears many things. He claimed to have key information about the noise at the concert. I decided to have a chat with him.

He looked around in alarm when he learned that I wanted to know about what happened at the concert, and took me into an alley.

Aren't you being too careful? I just asking you to tell me what happened there.

Hush. It's too dangerous for common folk like us. Are you sure you want to know? Alright, to tell you the truth, I wasn't there, but I do have something big that's 100% related to your case. I heard it with my own ears...

He pulled my sleeve and put up three fingers. I took out three Dukats and put them in his hand.

What did you see?

Three days ago, I saw a strange masked figure near the Bachshof venue where the incident occur, around sunset. He was talking with someone else by the side of the street, someone who looked like a normal civilian, and they looked suspicious. I had a feeling it was something important and got close to them, and what I overheard... was what you're looking for.

He closed his mouth again and put up three fingers again. I did not have time for this.

I know you followed them. There are ten Dukats in this bag. Now tell me everything you saw.

Well... I followed them once their conversation ended. Suddenly, he turned into an alley, and I followed him to see that he was talking to someone else. Then he took out something that scared the living daylights out of me.

This is worth more than ten Dukats, don't you think?

At the time of the incident, the subject was <color=#d41f1f>pursuing what he believed to be an important lead, </color>only to be <color=#d41f1f>spooked</color> by what the mysterious figure was holding.

The music of the heart sounds, resonating with the heartstrings of the subject and bringing back memories.

The melody reveals that you saw something that made you realize the unusual nature of this case. Spit it out.

Alright, but only for you. He took out a letter sealed with gold wax, and the other guy just let everything out when he saw it. You see, that guy must have been a secret government agent. This is BIG in capital letters, and I would stay far away if I were you... say, that guy was about your height and size...

I took certain measures to retrieve the Dukats from Harman 'Long-Ears'. No useful information was garnered from him, and this line of investigation was closed.

Herr Musial, who runs a century-old jewelry store in Doppelhörnershof, said that the recent incident at the concert was similar to another case he had encountered, and insisted that the two were linked.