The Season of Giving [2]

Charlotte followed the two suspicious figures discreetly, utilizing her experience of going undercover.

In the past, in order to learn more information or capture closer pictures, Charlotte often had to disguise herself and blend in with whatever she wanted to learn more about. Of course, she could only do it limitedly and is not on par with Fontaine's specialized officers.

- Click...

Sneakily taking a picture of the two with her Kamera, she observed them for a bit longer.

"They seem to be going... To the Fleuve Cendre?"

Just as she had predicted, the two sneaky figures entered the underground passageways of Fontaine, intending to head to Fleuve Cendre, their sacks containing unknown items still hanging from their backs.

Following just right behind them, while occasionally hiding behind the available objects laying around, Charlotte took pictures from time to time, her presence still hidden.

It came to the point where they reached deep inside Fleuve Cendre, where very little human presence can be found.

Hiding behind a stack of crates, Charlotte noticed that the two figures stopped and began talking to themselves, their sacks falling down to the ground with a thud.

Their voice then echoed, enough for their stalker to hear.

"The goods are here... But where's the liaison?"

"Don't know... It was just said to meet them here."

'A liaison? Are they part of an organization?' Spying on them from the cracks of the crates, her eyes narrowed as her mind raced. 'Is this perhaps... a drug trade?'

It was a natural assumption. After all, no one would deliberately bring suspicious items somewhere far from the eye of the public, and refer to them as goods. If that wasn't suspicious enough, then the fact that they were masked and sneaky about all of it should do it.

'Are they trading Sinthe?!'

At the thought of this, Charlotte took a step back, her eyes still fixated on the two figures discussed in the distance.

'If it is... Then I better hurry and report it to the Gardes!'

Holding her Kamera which had sufficient pictures, she took another step back and turned around, intending to leave.

Without anyone noticing, she managed to slip out, still holding on to her Kamera. Navigating the tunnels, she soon left, the evidence still in her hands.

After escaping the tunnels and returning above ground, she gasped for air for a bit, leaning on a wall.

"I need to tell the Gardes quickly..." She uttered to herself, her eyes surveying the surroundings.

She then began to walk over to the nearest officer, intending to report what she had just witnessed. However, on her way, she managed to catch a glimpse of two figures.

The two figures, who noticed Charlotte's disheveled appearance, turned their heads and looked at her.

"Ms. Charlotte? What's wrong?" Lyney, who was wearing a knitted scarf, asked. He then looked at her worried. "You look haggard!"

"Were you running?" Freminet asked as he held a box containing unknown items.

"Ah, Mr. Lyney and Mr. Freminet... Good to see you today." Realizing who it was, Charlotte calmed down and heaved a sigh of relief. "How's your day?"

"Well... Me and Freminet were just on our way to buy gifts for a party Mr. Isaac is throwing tonight..." Lyney explained, pointing at the box Freminet held.

However, he immediately shifted the topic back to Charlotte, his voice laced with worry. "But what about you? How's your day? From what I could see... probably not well?"

She conjured a wry smile as she fixed her appearance, just now realizing how worn out she must have looked. "I was just on my way to the Gardes..."

"The Gardes?" Both of them asked in unison.

She nodded. "Indeed. I think I just witnessed an illegal trade currently underway in the tunnels of Fleuve Cendre."

"An illegal trade..." Lyney's eyes narrowed before looking over to his brother, Freminet.

Seeing Freminet also look back at him with the same eyes, a brief silence descended upon the two for a few moments before the two of them nodded, an unknown understanding forming between them.

Turning over to Charlotte, Lyney smiled comely, his voice gentle and inviting. "Alright, I think we could help here. Freminet, would you be a dear and escort Ms. Charlotte?"

"Of course." Freminet softly spoke as he walked over to Charlotte.

"Wait, what are you two doing?" Confused by the sudden decision of the two brothers, Charlotte was left in the dark. "And what are you gonna do, Mr. Lyney?"

Lyney lightly smiled at her, his voice soothing. "Freminet here would just accompany you while I would... Let's say keep watch in the tunnels until help arrives."

"What? But that's dangerous!" She exclaimed.

He chuckled lightly then winked at her. "Haha, don't worry, Ms. Charlotte. Have you forgotten? I am a magician! Hiding and being stealthy is my specialty!"

At this reasoning, she couldn't help but try to find a fault in it."But... Still..."

However, he was adamant. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to be safe too. Let's meet later at the station once I'm done. Well then, Freminet?"

The soft-spoken Freminet nodded then grabbed Charlotte, his hand and gesture soft to the touch. "Let's go, Ms. Charlotte. My brother is... pretty capable."

Faced with the insistence of the two brothers, Charlotte's eyes reluctantly alternated between them for a few moments, unsure of what she should do.

But faced with their calm expressions and confidence, it took her a few moments before exhaling, releasing a faint vapor in the air.

"Okay, I guess... But be careful, Mr. Lyney."

"Will do, Miss."

With that, the three of them separated.

---

"I see, thank you for the report. We'll immediately look into it."

"Thank you."

After finding the nearest Maisson Gardiennage station, Charlotte immediately reported what she had witnessed along with the pictures she took as evidence.

A group of officers mobilized and soon left, heading to Fleuve Cendre.

Finishing her task, she heaved a soft sigh before turning over to Freminet who accompanied her.

"Thank you for you and your brother's help, Mr. Freminet. But are you sure Mr. Lyney's gonna be fine?"

Freminet gently nodded, his face slightly red from the cold. "Don't worry, my brother is highly proficient in his tricks as a magician. If he wants to hide, then it would be hard for him to get noticed."

"Should we wait for him here then?" She suggested, finding a seat inside the lobby of the station.

"Okay." Freminet nodded.

Soon, the two sat down and waited for Lyney. Freminet adjusted his mittens, albeit it didn't look like the cold was bothering him that much. As for Charlotte, she fixed herself and adjusted her monocle, before wrapping her scarf around her again.

After finally returning to the appearance of a sophisticated person, she nodded satisfyingly. However, as she sat and waited there, her mind couldn't help but wander to what happened earlier.

'Those two suspicious people... Are they the storm Mr. Isaac mentioned? Perhaps there really is something moving behind the scenes...'

Thinking back to what Isaac had said, she just now realized how his words were becoming more and more true. Right now, after experiencing a moment of tranquility, something was finally moving to shake up the peace.

'Perhaps something like Sinthe would circulate the market once more...' she frowned, knowing how the effects of such a drug has on the population. 'How vile... Why can't some criminals just...'

She then looked up, a moment of naivete showing in her eyes. '...Not do this kind of thing sometimes?'

Was what she thought naive for someone of her occupation? Absolutely. But it wouldn't hurt anyone for someone like her to think of such a thing. After all, at the end of the day, she was still just a concerned citizen.

Time flew past, and soon, the figure of Lyney entered the station, his appearance looking no different from when they departed.

Seeing him, Charlotte's eyes gleamed. "Mr. Lyney! You're safe!"

Lyney approached, a soft smile plastered on his face. "Didn't I tell you? I'm quite confident in my craft, you know?"

"So how was it? Were the suspects caught?" She asked about the situation.

Hearing this, Lyney paused for a moment before shaking his head, a wry look present on his face. "Unfortunately, no."

"What? Why? And... How?"

Surely two people can't stand against a group of Gardes, right?

Lyney sat down before explaining with a heavy tone. "Well... There were some unforeseen variables that appeared. The two you mentioned were indeed about to trade something. However... Both of them belonged to The Syndicate."

He then added as he eyed her. "You should know who they are too, yes?"

Upon hearing which organization the two suspicious figures belonged to, Charlotte's eyes dilated. "The... Syndicate? Then... Wait, was the variable you mentioned..."

Her voice trailed off as a guess rose up in her mind upon realizing which organization was involved in this. It was a ridiculous thought, but with the unforeseen variable Lyney mentioned, she couldn't help but form such a thought.

Lyney solemnly nodded. "You're right. The two of them, which were on the verge of being caught, were saved by none other than their leader..."

"The Nameless King."

He then leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he recalled what happened. "I could still remember it as clear as day. When that man appeared, he looked no different from the shadows and moved like one... I couldn't even get a glimpse of what he looked like since the Darkness looked like they were churning around and encasing him like a cocoon."

"Before I even knew it, he easily incapacitated everyone in the scene including his own men, then took them with him along with the goods."

Listening to Lyney's story intently, Charlotte's face grew more and more solemn as the image of the Nameless King in her mind began to shape and form.

"Incapacitated... So he didn't hurt anyone?"

He nodded, a wry smile present on his face. "That's right. Like an adult to children, he merely took care of us without any great force. I have to admit that it was... humiliating."

"However..." He then leaned closer to the two, his eyes surveying around if anyone was around. He then quietly whispered. "Before he left, I managed to hear the King utter something under his breath. It was subtle and not easily noticed... But I heard it."

"You heard the King's voice?" Freminet asked, concerned. "Are you sure that you weren't imagining it?"

Lyney shook his head. "No, I'm sure of it. No one present back then had a voice like his, so I easily differentiated it. I'm sure of it."

Charlotte joined in, holding her pen and paper which she had taken out from some point in time. "Well? What did the Nameless King say?"

"I only heard two words." He said, gesturing with his hand. "One was something about a chimney while the other is... Sandal Claws... or something like that."

"A chimney and some weird kind of claws... What could it mean?" Charlotte looked at the brothers only to find them looking back at her with similarly confused expressions.

Lyney sighed, his expression riddled with resignation. He then smiled wryly, a habit he gained from a certain barista. "Well, we can't do much now. I doubt we'd discover anything from just these clues..."

"You're right. It's better to just leave it to the Gardes." Freminet nodded as he stood up.

Lyney followed him and looked back at Charlotte who was still sitting down, her expression frowning. "Don't look down, Ms. Charlotte. Even if we knew more about what he said, in the face of the King, we wouldn't have made much difference."

"You're right, Mr. Lyney..." Shutting her eyes softly, she lingered for a moment before looking up at the two. "I just hope he and his organization won't do something drastic in the days to come..."

Looking down on Charlotte's expression, Lyney lingered and thought for a moment before forming an idea.

He then looked at her, his voice inviting. "By the way, Ms. Charlotte, if you aren't busy tonight, how about you come by Mr. Isaac's cafe? There would be a small party where his friends and loyal customers would attend."

"A party? What for?" Charlotte's interest was quickly pulled.

Someone like Isaac, who had very big social connections, suddenly throwing a party? Something like that would easily become a vortex of discussions, especially if big figures would attend!

Lyney hummed. "He said it's just something he wanted to do to celebrate the season."

"Celebrate winter? Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but he seemed really enthusiastic about it. He's even decorating his cafe with beautiful lights."

Charlotte contemplated briefly, mulling over what to do. Such a party certainly wouldn't be simple, after all. However, thinking about the Nameless King and The Syndicate which had riddled up her mind today...

It made her grimace slightly. However, before these dark thoughts could further linger in her mind, Isaac's words reverberated in her mind.

'Thinking about something as pernicious as this at this time would only be detrimental for anyone.'

He was right. Today was supposed to be a peaceful day brought by the unexpected cause of the Nameless King. If she let his figure cloud her thoughts, there be no rest for her.

As such...

She soon stood up, making up her decision.

"I'll attend!"

More snow fell, and soon, the snow on the street grew thicker.