Marquis Relf was so enraged he felt like vomiting blood. This was the second time this had happened. He'd just dispatched the Marechaussee Hunters, and now they were dead, leaving him to take the blame once again.
Who was plotting against him?!
A sea of faces swirled through Marquis Relf's mind, but he couldn't fathom who possessed the cunning and capability to orchestrate such a scheme.
After a while, Marquis Relf finally regained his composure. He realized that now wasn't the time to uncover who had set him up, but rather how to quell the unfolding crisis.
The Viscount had to be eliminated. Whether or not he was truly involved in this matter, he was now irrevocably tainted by suspicion.
If Marquis Relf hesitated any longer, the public's outrage would fester unchecked, and he himself might become the scapegoat.
Though his authority was considerable, he was ultimately just a marquis. If sacrificing him was deemed necessary to appease the public, those above him wouldn't hesitate.
He could no longer afford sentimentality. The incompetent Viscount deserved to die. He couldn't even cover his own tracks, instead dragging the fire to Relf's doorstep. Damn him!
With this thought, Marquis Relf summoned the Marechaussee Hunter and ordered him to eliminate the Viscount.
Upon receiving his orders, the Marechaussee Hunter immediately left the Viscount's mansion.
Even though the mansion was now surrounded by an angry mob, he effortlessly slipped inside unnoticed.
The Gardemeks detected his presence but took no action, simply ignoring him.
The Marechaussee Hunter swiftly made his way to the Viscount's bedroom and quickly located the secret chamber.
When the Viscount saw the hunter appear, he was startled at first. But upon recognizing him as one of Marquis Relf's men, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! You must have been sent by Marquis Relf to rescue me!"
"No, I'm here to inform you that your time has come."
The Viscount stared blankly, clearly not comprehending. A cold metallic object pressed against his temple, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Wait! There must be some misunderstanding!"
Bang!
Without hesitation, the Marechaussee Hunter pulled the trigger. He casually tossed the gun beside the Viscount's body, erased all traces of his presence, and vanished into the night.
Some time later, the butler, drawn by the gunshot, discovered the Viscount's lifeless body in the secret chamber. The sight so terrified him that he collapsed to the floor.
"This is terrible! The Viscount..."
Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck him, causing him to tremble violently. He hastily amended his words:
"The Viscount took his own life out of guilt!"
The death of a noble sent shockwaves through Fontaine far greater than the loss of ordinary citizens.
When news spread that the Viscount had committed suicide out of guilt, few questioned its veracity. Instead, most believed that their collective efforts had finally overwhelmed the Viscount, driving him to take his own life under the weight of psychological pressure.
With this emotional outlet, the vast majority of the populace abandoned any further attempts to challenge Fontaine's ruling authorities. However, this resolution alone failed to satisfy their thirst for justice.
"Thoroughly investigate the Maison Gardiennage!"
This rallying cry unleashed unprecedented pressure on the Maison Gardiennage. Ultimately, the entire unit was suspended pending review, their duties temporarily transferred to the Court of Justice.
After the Court of Justice took over the Maison Gardiennage's duties, the public remained most concerned about the three cases previously classified as suicides.
To their astonishment, the Court of Justice's re-examination of the evidence only confirmed the initial assessment: all three deaths appeared to be suicides.
Though this conclusion seemed absurd, their meticulous analysis of every clue led them to the same answer as the Maison Gardiennage.
The Court even brought in specialized equipment to detect elemental residue, hoping to rule out the possibility of a Vision holder's involvement. The results were negative, indicating that no one had used elemental power at the scenes.
However, the Court of Justice investigators, lacking experience with serial suicide cases, couldn't bring themselves to label the three deaths as suicides, whether due to their own doubts or pressure from above.
Consequently, the Court began interrogating the captured Magicians. After extensive questioning, they found nothing suspicious.
"Have we apprehended all the Magicians currently in Fontaine?"
"No, it seems one named Lyney is still at large."
"By the way, our investigation suggests this magician is connected to the Fatui. Should we still arrest him?"
"The Fatui?"
That explains everything!
"Yes, arrest him. This incident has offended nearly every major figure in Fontaine. Even that person's influence won't be enough to protect him this time."
After dispatching a team to scour the entire city for Lyney, the two voices resumed their conversation.
"Do you really think Lyney is the culprit?"
"Whether he is or not doesn't matter. As long as the public sees that the Court of Justice is taking action, that's enough..."
When Lyney heard that he and Lynette had become suspects in the three recent cases, and that the Court of Justice was conducting a city-wide manhunt for them, he was momentarily stunned.
But he quickly realized that the news was spreading with unusual speed. Normally, arresting suspects required maintaining secrecy to prevent them from fleeing and complicating the investigation.
It didn't take long for Lyney to understand the Court of Justice's scheme, and his expression turned cold.
Compared to the Maison Gardiennage, the Court of Justice was rotten to its core, resorting to such petty tactics.
Lyney was certain that whether the Court of Justice could apprehend them as suspects and ultimately convict them hinged entirely on the outcome of negotiations at higher levels.
As for whether Father would betray them, the thought never even crossed Lyney's mind. They were family, not a relationship that could be severed by mere political interests.
"Don't worry, Lynette," Lyney reassured her. "Father will take care of this for us."
Lynette nodded in response and refocused her attention on the crime scene.
They were currently at the location of the third murder, but just like the previous two sites, no matter how thoroughly they investigated, they couldn't find any new leads.
Yet the victim's final actions were disturbingly bizarre, eerily reminiscent of those in the serial suicide case.
Unlike the previous victims, however, this one had a family. Unless the killer had changed their target...
Wait a minute... While the victim did have a family, they had no other close relatives or friends. If they considered all three victims as a single entity...
Lyney clenched his fist tightly, feeling as though he was closing in on the key to this mystery.
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