59 Miracles

"Name?"

"Isaac Alder."

"Reason for your visit?"

"Oh, just a moment."

Currently, at the entrance of Opera Epiclese, Isaac was undergoing a standard procedure.

Today was just supposed to be a normal working day for him— that was until he received a letter from Furina telling him to visit the Opera.

He was reluctant at first and wanted to decline, but then he saw that she said it was an important matter.

As such, hesitant as he may, he decided to go.

Since it was his first time going to the Opera, he wanted to look nice. As a true fashion connoisseur and a resident of Fontaine, it's a moral imperative for Isaac to always look great.

And, of course, Isaac could never hope to forget to bring his beloved silvertip cane.

Pulling out a card that came along with the letter Furina gave him, Isaac handed it to the Melusine. "Here you go."

After looking at the card given to them, the Melusine nodded their head and gave the card back to Isaac. "Alright, everything's good so far."

"Lady Furina's reception room is located on this floor," The Melusine pointed at the map of the Opera Epiclese. "Take the stairs on the right, and it should take you there with no problems."

"Thank you," Isaac stuffed the card back into his inner pockets and smiled at the Melusine before leaving.

With that, Isaac started walking off.

'Not many people here today,' While walking, Isaac noticed that there were very few people present. 'That means there should be no trial today...'

'Then that begs the question...' Isaac then grasped his chin. 'Why did Furina ask me over...?'

'What important thing does she even want to tell me?' Isaac sighed. 'Oh well...'

"Hm?" Just then, while walking, Isaac noticed two figures not far away. Due to their features, Isaac easily identified them. 'Well, well, well...'

"My, if it isn't my dear customer, Freminet!" Recognizing who it was, Isaac decided to strike up a conversation. "What a coincidence to bump into you here! And... Hm? Oh, Miss Lynette is also here."

'And if the two of them are here, that means...' Isaac smiled. 'Lyney should be nearby.'

Seeing Isaac approach them with a conversation, Freminet, who was observing the room, replied. "Hm? Monsieur Isaac? What are you doing here?"

Freminet didn't want to say it out loud, but seeing Isaac out of his cafe made it slightly surreal for him. After all, the latter rarely went out and is always seen in his cafe.

'Hey, don't look at me with those eyes like I'm a hikikomori...' Isaac lampooned. He then shook his head and chuckled lightly before giving a reply. "Nothing much, just out for some personal matters."

"How about you two?" Since the House of the Hearth was related to Isaac's next Main Quest, his main goal right now is to establish a friendly relationship with them.

"Oh, we actually came here because Lady Furina invited us." The soft-spoken Freminet explained. "She said she had something to tell Lyney, so the three of us came."

'Hm? She also called them? Strange... Just what is that brat plotting?' Isaac wasn't a stranger to a scheme when he noticed one. After all, he was no stranger to them. 'I should ask later...'

Wrapping up his thought, he heaved a soft sigh. "You three truly are inseparable. How envious."

"Thank you," Freminet softly smiled.

"...?" Meanwhile, Lynette, who was watching the whole while drinking her tea in silence, was slightly dumbfounded.

'Freminet... Smiled?'

It was truly a rare sight to see, especially since they see each other every day.

Seeing Freminet open up more emotions, Isaac silently rejoiced in his heart. 'Good, young one. It seems like spending my time helping you open up has been worthwhile.'

This was a sign that Isaac had somewhat given a troubled mind a bit of comfort.

Just then, while the two of them were chatting, another voice joined in. "Ah, good, you two are— hm? Who's this?"

It was none other than Lyney.

Recognizing who it was, Freminet took the lead. "Oh, this is Monsieur Isaac. You know... The owner of the cafe I always go to."

"Haha, of course, I remember," Approaching Isaac, Lyney took off his magician's top hat and pressed it on his chest. "Good afternoon, Monsieur Isaac."

"Please, there's no need for formalities, let's all just talk comfortably, eh?" Not being a fan of an overly formal discussion, Isaac decided to ease up the atmosphere.

"If that's so, then don't mind if I do." Hearing Isaac's words, Lyney chuckled lightly and put his magician's top hat back on.

"It's nice to meet you again, Lyney." Seizing this opportunity, Isaac decided to go for the attack. "Although I haven't mentioned this in our previous meeting, I'm a big fan."

"Ah, is that so?" Hearing Isaac's remark, Lyney, who was also curious about this enigmatic cafe owner, decided to entertain him. "I won't believe you. Unless, of course, you check your inner pockets?"

"Hm?" Confused, Isaac thought for a moment before realizing what Lyney meant. Seeing Lyney's cheeky eyes, Isaac instantly knew what it meant. "No... It can't be...?"

He then quickly checked his silk vest's inner pocket and felt something. He reached his hand and pulled out a card.

'This...' Seeing which card it was, Isaac felt a cold sweat drop down his neck. 'What a scary coincidence...'

It was the Fool card.

"Amazing," Deciding to think about this matter later, Isaac gave a surprised expression and handed the card back to Lyney. "I didn't even notice it! Just how did you do it, hm?"

"That's... A magician's secret!" Bringing his forefinger to his lips, Lyney smiled. "Miracles can't be openly shared now, can they?"

'What a charlatan... I like it.' Laughing to himself internally, Isaac decided to play along. "Miracles, huh? Well, I guess you're right."

"But there is one 'miracle' from you magicians that I always wanted to see." Looking at the time from his pocket watch, Isaac decided to also act like a charlatan.

"And that is?" Piqued by Isaac's words, Lyney decided to probe in further. He wanted to know what kind of miracles this man in front of him wanted to see so much.

Smirking enigmatically, Isaac gave a solemn reply. "Of course, it's..."

"Coming back from the dead!" He smiled softly at the two magicians in front of him.

"Coming back... From the dead?" Hearing such outlandish words, Lyney was taken aback for a moment— however, his interest had never been so aroused. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it the greatest miracle, Lyney?" Isaac chuckled to himself lightly. "I once heard that magicians who can perform miracles and come back from the dead are called Miracle Invokers."

"Think about it for a moment. Just the thought of coming back to life just for a performance... It's..."

Before Isaac could finish his words, Lyney interjected. "A sublime feeling...!"

"...truly so." Although his words were cut off, Isaac didn't mind it one bit. Taking a look at his pocket watch, Isaac decided that this was enough.

"Well, this has been a fun talk, Lyney. But I apologize, I must go now."

"Haha, It's quite alright, I very much enjoyed that conversation." Looking at Isaac, Lyney's eyes only showed great interest. "If I have the time, I'd like to chat with you more in the foreseeable future."

"I'd be looking forward to it." Picking up his cane, Isaac nodded to them lightly before walking off and disappearing down the stairs.

Seeing the man leave, the first to speak from the three was Lynette. "Lyney..."

"I know." Sensing what his sister was about to say, Lyney turned his head and faintly smiled at her. "He's an interesting fellow."

After making sure that no one was present and listening, Lyney continued to speak. "I'm sure..."

"'Father' would also find him noteworthy."

---

After walking for a few moments, Isaac finally found Furina's reception room. He then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Lady Furina?"

His voice echoed throughout the silent hallway behind him, however, the person on the other side of the door heard him clearly.

"You're late! Come on in!"

'...yeah, she's not happy.' Only now did Isaac realize that his chat with the siblings went on for a bit longer than he thought.

"I'm coming in." He pushed open the door and went inside. "Good afternoon, Lady Furina..."

"Hm?"

However, when he entered, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. "This is...?"

Inside the room, two rows of mannequins lined up side-by-side, each wearing a unique dress for men.

And, at the end of the line, Furina was sitting down as she watched Isaac from the other side of the room.

For some reason, she was looking too regal today.

"What's... The reason you called me here today, Lady Furina?" Not knowing what going on, Isaac decided to ask.

"Hehe, rejoice once more, Isaac." Chuckling to herself, Furina stood up from her chair and walked towards Isaac.

Isaac, on the other hand, didn't move and let her walk to him. It felt like the right choice.

When Furina finally got close to Isaac, the two of them stood in front of each other, with but a tiny gap separating them.

If it weren't for their height difference, perhaps they'd be seeing face-to-face.

"Congrats, Isaac. For you have been gracefully chosen by none other than I to be..." As Furina spoke, her confidence grew as her voice became excited.

"One of the main actors of a movie I am directing and am part of."

"...huh?"

It truly is no rest for the wicked.