『 The two continued forward and arrived before another large gate. This time, the room was no longer empty, as Memory Zone Memes were patrolling the area.
Acheron disposed of them in a few swift moves. Afterward, a note drifted down through the air. Welt caught it, and he and Acheron read it together. It turned out that the mansion's staff had been assigned other duties, and this had occurred some time before Robin's death.
Welt speculated that it might be due to the Charmony Festival, a project requiring a massive amount of labor. Acheron, however, did not think so. She believed that even with the Charmony Festival imminent, some staff should have remained behind to stand by in the Dewlight Pavilion, a secure family stronghold.
"Are you saying someone deliberately sent them away?"
"Yes, but the motive remains unclear."
Welt shook his head. "If we can't figure it out, we shouldn't dwell on it. Let's go. Who knows what awaits us behind this door?"
Pushing open the door, Welt looked at the empty conference room and said, as expected, "Indeed, there is still no one here."
"Since there is no host to receive us, let's make ourselves at home. Please stay as close to me as possible so that 'White' can cover you as well."
Welt nodded and began searching for clues alongside Acheron. After searching for a while, Acheron stopped.
"Let's stop here… There seems to be nothing else of note."
"Before stepping through the gates, I imagined all sorts of scenarios of dealing with the Family, but I didn't expect only an empty mansion to welcome us…" Welt lamented.
Acheron suddenly turned her head, alerting Welt at the same time, "Watch out, someone is coming."
Alerted by Acheron, Welt turned around and saw Sunday silently appearing behind them.
"Intruding into a restricted area without permission is hardly the way of a guest, is it? Mr. Welt, and… Galaxy Ranger, Lady Acheron?" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Whoa, he walks without making a sound.
〘Stelle〙: That's a bit creepy.
〘Hanabi〙: Not bad, Chicken Wing Boy, to be able to see Acheron having to use her means.
....
『 "Apologies, Mr. Sunday. We couldn't find any staff to announce us, so we took the liberty of entering your residence. We hope you can forgive us."
"But even if there was no host, you two should have sat quietly and waited for the master of the house to arrive, should you not?" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: But there are no seats in front of your mansion. The only seats are right here in this conference hall.
〘Sunday〙: …
〘Aventurine〙: Hahaha, well done, my friend! Keep these 100,000 Credits, hahahaha.
....
『 "Putting this Galaxy Ranger aside for now…" Sunday looked at Welt with a sharp gaze. "As far as I know, the Astral Express has already formally accepted the Family's commission. There is likely no need for you to make a special visit."
"Our journey here is precisely to understand the case from Mr. Sunday, to avoid any mishaps in the investigation," Welt replied.
Sunday sighed upon hearing this. "Very well. Since you two have come with goodwill, I have no reason to turn you away."
"Rest assured… he didn't realize we went through those documents," Acheron said in a voice only Welt could hear.
"Though the truth has not yet come to light, I am already close to it. I assure you all, the traitor will soon pay the price," Sunday said with a confident smile.
Welt nodded. "May justice be served soon. But I personally have one small question for Mr. Sunday: How exactly did the Family determine that the killer is hiding within the Family itself?"
"With all due respect, someone attempting to cause chaos on the eve of the Charmony Festival aligns perfectly with the IPC's interests… The Family should have reason to suspect the IPC is behind this."
Sunday nodded upon hearing this. "The other Family heads have raised the same doubts as you. But in my view, the real culprit would never parade around like that, an envoy… Moreover, I have already bound him in shackles myself."
"However, I must turn Mr. Welt's concerns back onto the two of you. In my opinion, you are the ones who should be most vigilant against Aventurine…"
"While the wicked can't break through high walls, they can plunge their evil dagger into the heart of the righteous."
At this point, Sunday flashed a meaningful smile. "He is a businessman, not a philanthropist. Yet right now, he is throwing money around on the streets and heading toward the Clock Studio Theme Park alone. I wonder what he is planning…"
"The Family still promises to protect the safety of our guests, but you all might want to keep your guard up."
"Lest… any unforeseen disasters occur." 』
『 ....』
〘Aventurine〙: Only the one framing you knows how innocent you truly are.
〘Stelle〙: He's already put a curse on you and still wants to track your every move. It's clear he hates you.
〘March 7th〙: It's so messy. The situation in Penacony is getting more and more chaotic. I feel like we're just bricks, being moved wherever we're needed.
....
『 As the screen faded to black, the male voice of the Interastral Peace Broadcast chimed in.
"According to news from the Pier Point hotline, a major breakthrough has been made in the shocking 'Egyhazo Aventurine case.' The suspect has now been apprehended—"
"This fraud case involves multiple departments of the Interastral Peace Corporation and the Intelligentsia Guild, resulting in a massive waste of human and material resources, causing enormous losses to the IPC—"
The broadcast switched to a female voice to introduce the suspect.
"The suspect in this case hails from Sigonia-IV and is one of the survivors of the 'Second Katica-Avgin Extinction Event.' Furthermore, he does not hold an Interastral Refugee Travel Certificate—"
"Under the direction of Diamond, the head of the Strategic Investment Department, the IPC has properly settled him based on the spirit of the Charter, and will continue to conduct investigations to further confirm the suspect's motives…"
The screen lit up, showing a mature woman with long, light purple hair and eyes as cold as a viper, sitting in the judgment seat, looking at Aventurine with amusement. A glass of red wine sat beside her. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: What a cool older sister! Step on me, sis!
〘Topaz〙: I advise you not to make jokes about Madame Jade.
〘Jade〙: What a cute little thing indeed. Where would you like me to step? Come and sign this contract, and big sister will satisfy you.
....
『 "What beautiful eyes. Tell me, do they glow at night?"
"If they could, I would definitely sell them," Aventurine replied calmly.
"Hmph, you have no idea how many people wish you would close your eyes forever. As a slave, you shouldn't have rebelled against your master… and yet, you finished that man off," Jade said with a cold laugh. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Serves him right!
〘March 7th〙: Serves him right!
〘Sushang〙: Serves him right!
....
『 "No lawyer dares to defend you. Perhaps you should try to secure a declaration of innocence for yourself?" Jade's words were filled with amusement.
Aventurine shook his head. "That's not hard, but it's meaningless."
"You seem very confident in your eloquence. Is that what you thought when you deceived the Intelligentsia Guild?"
"I simply got what I wanted. You wanted the perfect building material, and I merely presented a possibility—a small gamble."
"With a bit of luck, the IPC could have dug up anything from the golden sands of Egyhazo, even the remains of the 'Sand King(Tayzzyront).' Unfortunately, your luck was lacking."
At this point, Aventurine shook his head with regret.
"I won't deny that. But what I am curious about is why, after such a grand and elaborate scam, not a single person benefited in the end—including the culprit himself?" Jade asked, looking at Aventurine.
"My lady, I have already obtained what I wanted—to be brought before you to begin the next high-stakes gamble," Aventurine replied with a confident smile. 』
『 ....』
〘Qingque〙: So that was his motive—to get in touch with the IPC's high-ranking executives to prove his capability, so the IPC would secure his gamble.
〘Belle〙: The result is, he won the bet again.
〘Aventurine〙: Of course. I will keep winning, winning everything!
....