When Lyney and Lynette realized that the Court of Justice officers pursuing them had completely vanished, and they could walk openly through the streets without any trouble, they initially assumed that Arlecchino, The Knave, had intervened on their behalf. However, after reestablishing contact with their Fatui intelligence network, they discovered that the Court of Justice itself was facing an insurmountable crisis.
The fire in Fontaine was burning far too fiercely.
Lyney and Lynette clearly observed that the nobles had suffered losses in this incident, likely due to the same perpetrator responsible for the serial suicide case.
It wasn't that the nobles were incapable of atrocities like massacring the elderly; rather, they would never commit such acts so blatantly, as if daring others to discover their crimes.
The innocent lives claimed by the nobles far exceeded this single incident. Countless bones already paved every inch of Fontaine's land. So why hadn't public outrage ever reached such uncontrollable levels before? The answer lay in the nobles' cunning: they had always kept their dark deeds hidden from the light.
Even after the massacre at Poisson over five centuries ago, the nobles remained untouched, living lives of luxury and impunity thanks to their control over public opinion. Neuvillette had merely used the incident as justification to place Melusines within the Marechaussee Phantom, curbing their absolute power.
Driven by their dark and twisted desires, the nobles even fabricated unsolvable murder cases to satisfy their cravings, leaving orphaned children to...
Lyney's eyes blazed with furious rage. If Arlecchino hadn't arrived in time, his sister would have become another plaything for those nobles.
Lyney felt no sympathy for them. Even if he knew they weren't directly responsible for the crimes, he had no intention of clearing their names.
Lyney and Lynette returned to the House of the Hearth and contacted Charlotte, who was hiding there.
After leaving the Steam Bird newspaper, Charlotte had sought refuge with Lyney to avoid implicating Navia. He readily arranged a safe hiding place for her.
"You're finally back, Mr. Lyney, Miss Lynette!" Charlotte greeted them, her face etched with urgent relief. "Have you determined the cause of Mr. Baker's death?"
Charlotte had been holed up in the House of the Hearth for some time, while Lyney and Lynette were evading the Court of Justice's pursuit and gathering clues. They hadn't had a chance to update her on recent events.
Lyney quickly summarized the recent happenings in Fontaine. As she listened, Charlotte's face registered profound shock.
The death toll was a hundred times higher than she had imagined. More importantly, Lyney suspected that the perpetrator of the serial suicide case was actively aiding the Fleuve Cendre Faction.
Uncontrollable fury flared in Charlotte's eyes.
"You're saying they're helping the people living in Fleuve Cendre?"
"And this is how? By sacrificing innocent lives from Fleuve Cendre, one after another?"
"What right do they have to decide who lives and dies? Who do they think they are?"
"A victory built on countless corpses is worthless!"
"They're nothing but demons! No amount of pretense can conceal the crimes of a murderer!"
"Miss Charlotte, please calm down," Lyney said. "We need to focus on predicting the mysterious organization's next move and determining their current location."
"This is the only way to ensure there won't be any more victims."
Compared to Charlotte's agitation, Lyney and Lynette remained remarkably calm. Their experiences far surpassed anything she could comprehend.
This was precisely why Charlotte struggled to fully trust them. She couldn't see through their carefully constructed personas, which struck her as elaborate masks.
Yet, at that moment, they were allies walking the same path.
Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Mr. Lyney, you're right. I've been too reckless."
"It's understandable, Miss Charlotte, considering what you've been through."
"Here, take this candy."
Lynette expressionlessly pressed a piece of candy into Charlotte's hand. "Eating something sweet might lift your spirits."
"Oh, okay. Thank you."
Charlotte paused briefly, then unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. Whether it was her imagination or not, the suffocating unease that had been plaguing her seemed to ease slightly.
"Lynette, when did you secretly buy candy? Careful you don't go over your calorie limit!" Lyney teased, resting a hand on his hip with a wry smile.
"Hmph, that's impossible," Lynette muttered, stubbornly turning her head away to avoid facing reality.
"You two are so close," Charlotte murmured wistfully, savoring the sweetness in her mouth as she watched their interaction.
A figure she couldn't forget suddenly came to mind. Though that person had sacrificed their life to leave behind crucial information, Charlotte still struggled to fully understand it.
Abruptly, Charlotte paused, a spark of realization igniting in her eyes. "Mr. Lyney, do you think it's possible that the organization is hiding within Fleuve Cendre?"
Hearing Charlotte's speculation, Lyney stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "That's certainly plausible, and even highly likely. It would be difficult to orchestrate such a large-scale event without a prolonged presence in Fleuve Cendre."
"If that's the case, then this mysterious organization isn't trying to help the people of Fleuve Cendre. They're using these actions to conceal their hideout."
"Fortunately, I know Miss Navia of the Spina di Rosula. If this organization is indeed hiding in Fleuve Cendre, I'm confident she'll be willing to help us investigate!"
Charlotte's anticipation grew as Lyney endorsed her theory.
Just then, Lyney spoke up, bringing them back to reality.
"If that's the case, Miss Navia could indeed be a valuable ally."
"But all of this hinges on the assumption that Miss Navia is innocent."
"While I don't want to suspect Miss Charlotte's friend, the truth is I don't know her well enough. Therefore, I must ask Miss Charlotte not to reveal too much of what we know."
Lyney's words gradually calmed Charlotte, who had been growing excited. Though reluctant to doubt Navia, she couldn't find a way to dissuade Lyney. She nodded solemnly.
"Alright, I promise."