An eerie night

In a secluded area of Fontaine, where naught but the desolate wind of silence scratching the fragile air of silence stood, the footsteps of a person echoed, breaking the eerie silence.

Tap... Tap...

The heavy footsteps of the person's presence continued to echo throughout the oddly silent alleyway. The footsteps were heavy, but they were measured and had a semblance of order.

The unknown person continued to walk through the dark alleyway, guided only by the faint moonlight. However, as the person stood beneath the silver mantle of the looming presence in the sky, more features about them were revealed.

The person, who wore a sharp black suit with a white shirt underneath, tilted the black cap sitting atop his head. Its presence obscured the person's face for a moment— however, with the looming presence of the bathing moonlight, the person's face gradually got exposed.

Wearing an outfit that made him anonymous, the familiar grayish-silver hair of the chief justice of Fontaine looked around with a sharp vigil present in his keen eyes.

He was drawn to this location by none other than the blood he found in the painting of Furina not too long ago.

As he looked around, all he saw were the darkness that lingered around him, accompanied by the faint moonlight above.

His eyes then narrowed and focused on a certain peculiar anomaly present in the alleyway.

There, with the darkness serving as it's backdrop, a seemingly normal parcel that was decorated to look like a gift box was present. It's comical red ribbon and white appearance that radiated joy contrasted deeply against the otherwise darkness that surrounded it.

However, that was not what Neuvillette was focusing his attention on. Rather than the gift box itself, his eyes focused on the person holding it.

'A clown?' He thought.

There, standing up right, a figure of a man held the gift box silently amidst the shadows. He had a clown's mask on his face that depicted the usual exaggerated smile of a clown, with a single tear drop present beneath the left eye.

Normally, such a sight wouldn't have been threatening. However, the clown has been eerily silent since the beginning, maintaining his straight posture and unwavering stare at Neuvillette. Coupled with the uncanny shadows that obscured the clown in the darkness, it just made the clown all the more spectrally creepy.

Observing the clown's mask, Neuvillette lingered for a bit before speaking.

"That mask... Judging by its design, I'm assuming you're not the Clown I have in mind?"

Neuvillette was sure that the person in front of him currently was not the same Clown that he had been searching for. From Furina's account, the Nocturnal Clown had a mask, yes, but his smile wasn't exaggerated but merely a faint one.

This one in front of him, however, had an exaggerated and joyous smile.

Almost as if mocking him.

The clown remained silent and didn't answer Neuvillette's question. Just as he had done since earlier, he stood motionless while holding the comical gift box with both of his hands in eerie silence.

Dissatisfied with the silence, Neuvillette then asked another question.

"Who are you? And what connection do you have with the Nocturnal Clown?"

Again, silence.

Neuvillette observed for a bit longer and waited, but the clown never responded. He even entertained the idea that the man in front of him is not alive— but the faint harrowing breathing that he sensed beneath the mask proved him otherwise. It was weak and rough, but there was definitely breath.

In the end, he concluded that the clown would not talk.

Shaking his head lightly, his eyes glanced at the gift box.

"Would that be for me?"

Then, as if a certain magical phrase awakened him, the clown shuddered before mechanically moving his limbs in an awkward popping motion. Rather than controlled movements, it was more as if his joints were being dragged and moved.

...almost like a puppet with strings.

Then, after a few moments, the clown stood just a meter away from Neuvillette. Stretching out his hands, he handed the gift to Neuvillette while still maintaining his silence.

Neuvillette took the gift as he observed the clown in front of him. He wanted to say something, but knowing that the person wouldn't respond, he refrained from doing so.

Turning his attention over to the gift box, he lingered for a moment before deciding to open it and see what he had been set up for.

With the silvery moonlight serving as the only source of light, he untangled the ribbon and opened the lid.

Expecting to see some kind of macabre or creepy sight inside the seemingly normal box, he was surprised to see that all it contained... was a letter.

Neuvillette took the exquisite letter, flipped it over, and read the message inscribed on it with an elegant hand writing.

He lingered for a moment, his gaze reading through it. As he did so, his eyes narrowed for some bits before continuing. His eyes moved with precision, making sure to absorb the contents as much as possible.

"I see..."

Finally, after reading through the entire letter, he shook his head. It seems that whatever was written in that note, it had left a serious impression on the chief justice.

"What a treacherous clown you are..." He murmured under his breath before placing the letter back in the box, somewhat satisfied with the new knowledge he had gained.

His gaze then shifted to the motionless clown in front of him, his eyes narrowing to his mask. With the same indifferent expression, he spoke with a heavy tone.

"According to the letter, taking off your mask should give me a decent surprise."

The clown did not respond. As it had always done.

Neuvillette stared at him for a moment before lifting his hand and placing it just inches away from the clown's mask. He lingered there for a bit before finally deciding to take it off.

"..."

What was behind the mask, however, left him in utter silence.

What lay beneath was a sight of horror.

A man appeared that had a pale face twisted in an eternal scream— eyes wide with terror, pupils dilated as though frozen at the peak of agony. There were no visible scars, no signs of physical harm, yet the man's expression told a story of inhuman suffering. His mouth hung open, foam bubbling at the corners, while a thin trail of tears etched pale lines down his cheeks. It was the face of a man who had lost more than his sanity— something vital had been taken, leaving only this hollow shell behind.

"..."

At the sight of this, Neuvillette strangely remained calm, unfazed by the gruesome sight.

His sharp eyes narrowed and studied the face beneath the mask, tracing the contours of the tortured expression, piecing together a memory. Then, recognition dawned— not a flicker of shock, but a steady understanding. He knew this man.

"Lazare Perrault?"

This was the face of a powerful shareholder that had allegations of him having a hand in various human trafficking activities, instantly placing him in the deep scrutiny of the Maison Gardiennage.

They have gathered sufficient evidence that he did indeed have connections to the allegations, but he had always managed to slip through their grasp, leaving them no choice but to wait for an opportunity to take him down.

His recent disappearance had alarmed them, yes, however he did not expect that he would now be revealed in the form of this broken, silent figure.

Quietly watching the man silently cry in what seemed like a harrowing agony, Neuvillette frowned deeply. Lazare's eyes were lucid, but they were distant— the fear present in them hinted that he was witnessing what seemed like an agonizing nightmare from which he cannot escape from.

He was alive, but he may as well be a dead man at this point.

What bothered Neuvillette, however, is that the man had never once made a sound throughout their interaction.

Wearing that strange clown costume, he just stood there motionless, crying and foaming in agony.

As he had always done.

Looking at the man's poor state, Neuvillette paused a bit before shifting his gaze away and grimacing.

"Your methods are detestable, Clown. It's a great contradiction to your words."

"No matter how effective you may view your methods, the law inevitably reigns higher. This conduct... is by no means noble as you may perceive it to be."

With a deep sigh, he looked back at the motionless man and lingered for a moment. After a while, he left the alleyway and gathered a few Gardes to take him back.

He was not sure if they were able to extract any kind of information from the shareholder, but they still took him.

Just as Neuvillette was also about to leave, his gaze lingered for a bit around the area. He looked up at the rooftops, and for a split second, a shadowy figure appeared.

Highlighted by the light of the moon, an elusive figure that wore a black double-breasted suit and a clown mask with a faint smile appeared sitting down. His figure blended well with the darkness of the night making it hard to see him, but even then, Neuvillette was able to see his silhouette.

Then, in a comical manner, the clown waved his hand at Neuvillette as if greeting him.

Such a sight would have surely frightened a normal citizen if they were unfortunate enough to witness it.

Then, a dark cloud shrouded the rooftop and blocked the moonlight's glow, enveloping that particular area in utter darkness. In the next moment, the figure disappeared as if he had never been there, leaving naught but enigma.

"..." Neuvillette watched the whole thing happen, and, instead of pursuing him, he merely sighed.

Accompanied by a few Gardes and Melusines, he murmured something under his breath, unknown to anyone.

"Actors... All of them."

---

A few days later, inside Isaac's cafe.

Waking up refreshed, Isaac cleaned himself before taking his usual caffeinated tea along with his breakfast.

In the past few days, he and Furina did nothing but have fun— visiting various points of interest in Fontaine as well as finishing what Furina had originally planned. And as the ball approaches, the dated day of their dance would come soon.

Overall, they had just been having fun.

After cleaning his cafe and making sure everything was ready, Isaac was finally ready to get back to business.

Behind the counter, he patiently waited for his customers while his mind started to wander off.

Before it could wander off any further, though, a noisy sound suddenly rushed to his ears, disturbing his morning peace.

"Mister Isaac! You're back! Why haven't you been open?!"

It was the voice of Klee. Followed by it were three more people that entered the cafe simultaneously.

"Indeed, do you know how much we waited here in silence? There was practically nothing to do while you were gone." The sly Kitsune complained.

"Did something happen, Isaac? You can tell us if you want." Nahida looked at him with worry.

"One almond tofu with lavender tea." Lastly, Xiao made an order while walking over to the counter.

'Boy isn't this a way to start the morning...' He smirked lightly, finding the whole ordeal ridiculously entertaining. He then replied to all of them.

"Good morning, all of you. And yes, I'm sorry my absence for the past few days— I just had... Plans, you know?"

"Anywho, I'm back now. What would you guys like to... Huh?"

Just then, his voice trailed off as if he had been distracted by something. This was, of course, immediately noticed by the others.

"What's wrong?" Miko was the first to ask a question.

Isaac lingered for a moment while staring in the air in what looked like... disbelief?

'This is... Haha.' Then, after a moment, a soft chuckle escaped his lips, as if he had just seen the most entertaining thing ever. His deep amber eyes then moved to all of the invited people with a hidden curiosity present in them.

"Say... Are you guys interested in an adventure?"

As he said this, he couldn't help but look back at the familiar floating screen in the corner of his eyes.

[New mission issued.]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Side Quest]

[Title: Group Raid]

[Objectives: Form a party of invited characters and challenge the King Beneath the Mountains, Azhdaha.]

'...What even gave you the sudden idea to issue this?' He smiled wryly, clearly both interested and worried in his new quest.

'Hopefully this will end well...'