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Reverend Executor, if I could have just a moment.

...Baron Lukas. Please go ahead.

Those... violent thugs disturbing the peace on the streets are back?

Alright, I got it. I'll send men over right away.

Uh... Of course, absolutely. I'll be there in person. Please rest assured that the Gendarmerie will keep you safe and maintain Leithanien's untarnished glory.

...As you can see, I'm a very busy man.

I disagree. The social status of the informant should not be a criteria in determining the priority of your tasks.

Look, we're not in Laterano. Speaking of which, you're not allowed to freely fire your gun—or any other weapons—to intimidate the residents here.

No, more than that. You'd best stay in my sight while you're operating in Zwillingstürme.

I'm not aware of any such procedure.

You mean the rules? Rules are set by people.

I'd like to raise an objection.

Then I'll have to arrest you at the first opportunity, Herr Federico.

As someone who's fired multiple shots near a noble's private art gallery, many would see you as the biggest threat to Zwillingstürme's order.

District of Bodenshof, Karl Schmidt Street.

Frieda Seemann, the deceased at the exhibition, resided here for many years.

Right. 'Marigold Alley,' a place beloved by both painters and poets.

Baron Lukas moved here two years ago. He claims he wanted to be closer to an 'increasingly rare artistic milieu,' but of course the real reason might be that the homes here are far cheaper than the ones on Innere Stadt.

I find it very likely that my target has been here before.

Don't be rash. Remember our agreement? Arturia Giallo is a beloved and highly esteemed musician here in Leithanien.

You're currently 'assisting' the Gendarmerie with an unrelated case, under the premise that whatever you find has nothing to do with me or my men.

I have discovered the alleged gang of violent thugs reported to be disturbing the peace.

Immediately executing—

Stay put!

I suggest we immediately initiate arrest procedures.

It's just a bunch of kids who don't want to attend classes.

Get moving, all of you. No loitering.

So you were here too. The instrument sculptures were built under the Kaiserinnen's orders, and vandalism will not be tolerated. You're also bothering everyone in the neighborhood with the sound of chiseling.

Still not stopping your Arts?

What the hell are you carving?!

Can't you see? I'm just transforming the street back into its proper form.

Twisted horns like those aren't allowed in Zwillingstürme... No, they're forbidden across all of Leithanien.

Step aside. We have to destroy them before the Empresses' Voices find out.

Destroy? What makes you think you're brave enough to destroy a symbol of Herkunftshorn?

Herkunft— where did you learn that name?

Plenty of people already know. He'll be back soon, after all.

He was dethroned before you even learned to speak. You have no idea what those horns signify. Back then, he'd erect a sculpture like that on the streets whenever he killed a dissident!

...Someone's already dead, aren't they?

The painter who lived down the street. She was the first.

Run away with your tail between your legs, meine Herr. Whatever courage you once had is ancient history.

'The first soldier to set foot in the Witch King's Spire'—do you really think you're still that same hero?

Don't think I'll let you off just because you hit a nerve, schlingel...

He's gone.

Hmph, let him run.

Why did you not arrest him immediately?

Is there a point in rushing to fill up our prisons?

May I assume that your reluctance to arrest the boy was due to your personal feelings?

...I'm almost regretting my decision to bring you along, Reverend Executor.

Agreed. Freedom of movement would allow me to lock down the target as soon as possible.

No, I meant I should have detained you in our office instead.

Why's there another one still here? Hey, junge. Make any more noise and I'll really bring you in.

...The twisted horn sculptures. Are you not going to clean them up?

Right, I still have these troublesome things to deal with. I really don't get what youngsters have in their heads these days.

They're nostalgic for an era they never got to experience in person. But there's nothing wrong with that. All Leithanians are entitled to feel disappointed with how things are today.

For example... the coachmen casters who lost their jobs to Victorian automobiles, or the owners of the community theaters that closed down thanks to Wrankwood's film industry. Or their children, of course.

When people see no way out, the only way they can imagine a future is by looking back at the past.

Hah. Did you hear all that from some adult at home?

As if. I guarantee you she'd never say anything like that.

All she knows is how to eliminate any threat to Leithanien at its source.

The sculpture... shattered? And so easily...

He is clearly no ordinary student. I would recommend stopping him for questioning.

Hm. Nothing ordinary about him, that's for sure. But all the more reason to keep our mouths shut.

...And now it's actually raining, hah.

Want a drink? Coffee, or maybe beer? If we're drinking at this place, I recommend the former.

I do not make a habit of consuming fluids that will affect my central nervous system while on a mission.

Alright, beer for me then.

You are also—

On a mission, ja. Why else would I be drinking at this hour?

The child from earlier said that you were 'the first soldier to set foot in the Witch King's Spire.'

He's not wrong. What, want me to sign a napkin for you?

I would rather you sign the cooperation agreement I sent you.

Reverend Executor, how old were you twenty-three years ago? The news coverage on the coup can't have been bigger than the ads for some new dessert shop, can they?

'The Lateran who became the captain of Zwillingstürme's Gendarmerie.' That's how the headline went.

You sure did your homework.

I've paid no attention to your ties to the Witch King. The Loris Bordin I read about was a law enforcement officer worth working with, having solved one strange case after another.

Is that why you wrote me so many letters?

Arturia's Arts are unusual, and you are well versed in handling similarly strange cases.

In the year 1079, you arrested a gang of thieves proficient in casting illusions for romance scams. In 1085, you shot dead a dangerous hypnotist. In—

Wait. Stop right there. Please don't take me for the protagonist of some detective drama.

You appear to be avoiding the topic, Loris Bordin.

And why would I do that? It's just that I accepted early on that I'm a loser.

Did you know? Jan, he... That uncooperative kid we ran into in Marigold Alley earlier, he had a sister who used to work here.

She went missing fifteen years ago.

Judging by your special treatment of the young man, I assume the case remains unsolved.

And that's not the only case I haven't been able to crack. Not the first, and definitely not the last.

There's nothing special about it at all.

It just... is.

Heh... A Notarial Hall executor like you probably hasn't experienced failure like that.

Herr Bordin! You're here again. How are things lately?

The doctor told me to give up drinking.

That's a shame. To make a Lethanian man in his prime cut off his alcohol intake is just as bad as making him go deaf!

I even thought I'd give you a 50% discount if you brought the Damen und Herren from the Gendarmerie here for your retirement party.

You're retiring?

I'm leaving Leithanien once Das Kaiserinnensfest is over.

Thiem, what's that kid been up to lately?

Jan? The Universität he applied to rejected him, so he probably went off to learn a proper trade.

He's pretty talented with Arts, and his grades in secondary school weren't bad either. So why wasn't he scouted by any of the universities?

Because he threw away your recommendation letter.

That bengel...

He said you should be trying harder to find Yulia, rather than worrying about which school he's going to.