'Revere the past, so that we may protect the future.' />/ - Morganna Fayde, The First Lord Protector

  [SFX:Gulp]

  Why didn't I notice this the first time I was here with Madi-san? The faded, almost invisible words only truly came to life when I traced over the empty under-pque with my finger in red. Perhaps you may be wondering who this 'Morganna Fayde' person is, considering that you have not seen this name until now. Let's put it like this simply:

  Lady Fayde exists.

  Lady Fayde exists, right here in New Coimbra.

  If this statue is the first Lord Protector from five hundred years ago...

  Then doesn't that >imply that Lady Fayde...

  I shake my head vigorously to rattle those thoughts out of my head. No! The Lady Fayde I know has zero connection to [Trono Palido]! I know this for sure! Otherwise Annalie and Oracion would have said something about it!

  On the outside, Lady Fayde is a very demure string-puller at [Conditorri Cafe]. As far as I can tell, she pys Continental tunes that are easy on the ears and you can dance to! It is a pity that (You) never met her when the conspiracy exposin' gang was all gathered there before we picked a fight with Horseguys! She's quite tall, dark, and pretty!

  And... Do you remember the [La Monarquía] person I was posing as at Galopin Chateau?

  Come closer and cross your heart not to tell Madi-san.

  Ready...?

  [La Monarquía] and Morganna Fayde... are the same person!

  If Madi-san knew, she would have an absolute fit! That's why I can't say this out loud. Furthermore...

  I have no evidence for this. That's why I cannot say this in red. [1] If I spouted off the red at any moment I wanted to prove something right, what better would I be than Madi-san? Evidence! I need evidence that is borne solely through a rondo of logic and reasoning! Right now, the only reason I suspect... No, I simply know, the true identity of Lady Fayde because when she was trapped between Oracion and Madi-san in that fateful encounter...

  Her magickal disguise broke.

  For a single instant.

  I don't think anyone else saw it.

  But I did.

  When Madi-san shouted for me to use my [Detective's Authority] to

  identify the glowie glowering over her...

  I saw...

  Lady Fayde's figure fsh behind [La Monarquía's] obscuring shadow!

  The look on her face as she covered it up with one palm...

  Told me that she knew!

  [La Monarquía] knew that for that moment,

  I was looking at her true face!

  That is the power of the [Detective's Authority]!

  The ability to see 'truths' in their original form!

  Culprits may attempt to obscure truths from the detective...

  ... but know that all disguises and trickery fail in front of the one true detective!

  Oracion and Madi-san probably each think they were the ones who scared her off. Not true. Madi-san did not beat off [La Monarquía] that night, I know better. Lady Fayde made up some excuse about being 'trapped between two descendants' and disappeared in a storm of metallic butterflies.

  I've kept this a secret from Madi-san and everyone so far.

  Not that anyone would believe me anyway.

  I... have no proof! Except for the fact that I knew!

  "Ahahaha... Is this what it feels like to be a conspiracist?"

  Standing up from kneeling stance, I look upwards at the statue that looks straight towards the direction of an invisible sunset. Now, there's another piece of the puzzle I need to solve.

  If [La Monarquía] = Lady Fayde...

  And...

  Lady Fayde = The First Lord Protector...

  What does this even mean?!?!

  Ah, no. I am getting a little too ahead of myself. Just because two people have the same names doesn't mean that they necessarily have to be the same person! I learnt this from my favorite mystery visual novel of all time! Maybe Lady Fayde is a descendant of such a person! We have a good example in my guardian on Bylon, Miss Starlight! She's a direct descendant of the [Founding Starlight], one of the founders of Vespana! Even their names, Satel Starlight, are the same!

  Yet, I can confirm that Miss Starlight is NOT the [Founding Starlight]! She's just someone from the Starlight family with the first name of a founder! Apparently, there are plenty of people named Satel running around the continent to boot! So let's not jump to conclusions!

  Furthermore, Madi-san has already confirmed in the red, there are no zombies in this mystery! Whether they are reincarnators or magickal undead chefs, they simply don't exist in Vespana! With this reasoning, I can say confidently in blue: Morganna Fayde is not five hundred years old! She is roughly the same age as us! The combination of her first and st names indicate some connection to the [Trono Palido] of old, but as of right now, Lady Fayde has zero connection to the [Trono Palido] girls I know!

  But why, though?

  Questions swim around in my head.

  What's the connection of [Trono Palido] to [La Monarquía]?

  As far as I can tell, [La Monarquía] is a glowie.

  (((Those))) are the people furthest from being the executors of protection in [Trono Palido].

  What gives...?

  "Maybe... the answer I am looking for is at [Hauntsgirl]?"

  Striding forward with a chest full of doubts and questions, I lock eyes with the front of the [Hauntsgirl] antique shop...

  Ah.

  Ah no no no no no...!!!

  What I saw standing guard at the entrance froze me straight in my steps!

  A pair of Horseguys in suits are standing guard before the antique store entrance!

  Standing there menacingly, they cross both their muscled arms over their pelvic region, shades blocking off the morning sun!

  They must not have arrived for long, since they don't have a trace of rain on them.

  As I stay frozen just twelve paces from them, their shaded snouts turn in my direction!

  Stay still, Ayano! Just stay still!

  But... what happened next surprised even me!

  The both of them straightened their backs with almost saluting reverence, puffing up their engorged chest muscles such that you can see visible lines through their suited fronts! One of them even holds the [Hauntsgirl] shop door open for me, as if they had been waiting for me for a long time!

  Inside the shop, there are a couple of familiar voices...

  From within the bickering, I can hear...

  An especially loud one that I only met st night...

  I have no idea what's going on, but I'm Ayano Sane, the detective!

  A-a couple of Horseguys won't scare me!

  I have the >greentext and I am not afraid to use it!

  Puffing myself up as well, I lift my head up and curve my spine to the sky!

  Make way, scallywags!

  The detective is coming through!

  "Are you telling me... that this is NOT the same person recorded in my [Observation Orbs]?!?!"

  Prinz Rufti de Galopin sms a single palm on the [Hauntsgirl] front desk, rattling off a few scrolls from a nearby rack. With her other hand, a straight up accusatory finger is pointed straight at our golden-haired friend, Valerie Morceau!

  Val-sama is seated on the sofa, observing the current charged up Rufti finger her as the one who broke into Galopin Chateau st night. With perfect innocence, she tilts her head quizzically while adjusting the bottom of her gsses, saying nothing to the mad under the colr Rufti!

  Reflected in the convex image produced by the [Orb] Rufti is holding is the disguised Val-sama. Wearing a party-mask and an elegant sleeveless blue dress, the [Observation Orb] records a full picture of the golden-haired one streaking through the first floor corridors, sky-blue handphone in one hand, mennifested white bde in another! Whenever a Horseguy appeared to block her, a swift counterstep would follow, downing the guard non-lethally, with her skipping past the falling body along the spinning momentum! The [Orb] recording would cut off when Val-sama bursts through the front door, which I suppose is when she saved me from being turned into a pile of meat paste and red sauce on the floor!

  I should probably say thanks, but this is not a good time!

  "Ehhhh... Let me see that!"

  A fingerless bck rubber glove reaches out from the front desk, grabbing the top of Rufti's [Orb]. She lifts it up to her dye-tipped blunt bangs, peering into Val-sama's obvious disguise reflected back at her! Our fake priestess, Annalie Tu thinks for a moment...

  "Nope! Doesn't look like Val-sis at ALL!"

  I did say that Annalie is a little air-headed. She's not even pretending to be retarded here, she genuinely and truly believes that the person in the recording is not Val-sama! Its doesn't seem like Annalie had any knowledge of the secret operation that went on st night, and the [Trono Palido] girls have kept it from her as well! A perfect storm of innocence!

  Had Annalie went along with the other girls, she would probably have bbbed by now!

  But... Annalie truly and honestly doesn't know anything!

  She probably cannot see through Val-sama's magickal disguise!

  "You see," Annalie swipes her finger rapidly between the [Orb] reflection and Val-sama at the sofa, "The girl in the reflection does not wear gsses! Val-sama does!"

  Nope, I take that back! Annalie is absolutely an air-head!

  Even Val-sama had to chuckle at that one, bored with the proceedings, she starts pying with her obvious sky-blue handphone in front of the pair, demonstrating her smug superiority...!

  Thoroughly trounced logically, Rufti simply explodes into rage!

  "The tracing from the [Observation Orb] cannot be wrong! I tracked this golden-haired brat all the way here! Doesn't wear gsses?! What kind of excuse is that!"

  Literally pcing the orb and Val-sama's face side by side to show two identical people...

  Rufti shakes the orb with exasperation, seeking any help or confirmation from ANY quarter!

  "Oh dear... I would kindly ask you to remove yourself from being in such close proximity to mine face... Harassment of employees here is not tolerated. Put simply, [Hauntsgirl] is just an antique shop..."

  "The Earl! I demand to see Earl Avalon! The Earl will clear things up for me!!"

  "There's no need for that." A cold voice familiar to Rufti sounds out with the jingling of the antique store's doorbells.

  "As one of the victims, I too, wish to find out the truth behind the [Galopin Chateau Incident]."

  A fsh of pleased recognition fshes over Rufti's face!

  She's here! She had come after all!

  Single finger put to her small and cute mouth to prevent any leaks of her identity...

  The dark monarchess has arrived!

  La Monarquía!!!

  (me)

  Go Go And Learn Mysteries With Aya-chan![1] Knox's the 6th: "No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right." If I just spouted off nonsense like Madi-san by prociming myself to be right, what kind of detective would I be...?

  HouseDerouxScribbles