Time flew by, and before long, August—the month symbolizing the "Sorrowful Madonna"—arrived.
The fifth day of the month.
An utterly ordinary day.
Without anyone anticipating it, Gilan Iros, chairman of the Bremen Empire's Mystery Investigation Committee and the "Red Sage," quietly vanished from his office after drinking his first cup of coffee that morning.
When he reappeared, he had already arrived in Jacobin, the Federation's capital.
Because Jacobin had suffered two consecutive terrorist attacks within just two months, with both the Hundred Elders Assembly Hall and the Jacobin Grand Opera House reduced to ruins, the city was clearly steeped in an oppressive, uneasy atmosphere.
The morning sunlight was dim and overcast, as though the entire street were shrouded in gray mist.
Gilan wore a top hat, its brim pulled low.
Leaning on a white cane, his trench coat fluttering behind him, he strolled down a street in the Federation's capital.
There were not many pedestrians or vehicles on the road.
At the very least, there were fewer than the last time Gilan had come.
The few locals passing by were also hurrying along, as if afraid that lingering outside for too long would bring them some misfortune.
Yet Gilan whistled a cheerful tune as he walked down the street, utterly unconcerned with anyone around him.
Before long, he arrived at a luxurious estate.
"Duke Daniel Martin Estate."
Gilan glanced at the blue sign and name hanging on the stone pillar beside the estate gate, a faint smile curling his lips.
This was the residence of the Martin Family, one of the Federation's most influential noble families.
The family had occupied the highest echelons of power almost since the Federation's founding. In every General Council, one of the twelve chair seats had always been held by a member of the Martin