Euphoria's Illusion

Are you suggesting I brought the [Blissbite] here?

It's one of the possibilities.

Heath, we're the ones who invited Miss Rosabelle here!

I know, but that doesn't mean she's innocent.

She's the most suspicious one now, isn't she?

The murderer is not identified by guessing, but by reasoning.

I need more information about the deceased.

Miss Detective, we never asked for your help.

But you need the truth, especially you, Miss Rosabelle, right?

Yes. I trust Christie, she's a professional detective, recognized by Charlotte.

...Alright.

I'd appreciate it even more if you didn't bring up that distasteful woman.

Wait a minute... this man... he looks somewhat familiar.

Is he the gossiping man in the reception room earlier?

Yes, his name is Luth Norman, a distant relative of the Norman family.

I'm sorry for all the mess our family has caused today.

This information is too shallow.

I need more details, like his character, and who he was in contact with.

I can tell you everything you want to know.

Who are you?

Heath Norman, the older brother of Luth.

Oh?

Luth was incompetent yet arrogant, believing the Church wasn't fit to rule and the three noble families too cowardly.

He often claimed that, if he were a direct noble of the Normans, he'd have declared war on the Church.

Ridiculous, right?

People like him, inept yet full of themselves, are the most likely to fall into [Blissbite].

But he wasn't an addict. He was too useless to get his hands on such prohibited drugs.

He must have gotten it from an outsider.

That's why I suspect Miss Rosabelle.

She's not just an outsider, but a merchant capable of smuggling.

Sounds reasonable.

I understand your suspicion, but I'm innocent.

You can search my goods and personal belongings.

Everything is open for inspection.

I'm sorry for wronging you, Miss Rosabelle.

But who could it possibly be...?

Is it really impossible for your brother to have obtained this from within the Empire?

If it's from the inside, there's only one possibility...

The God Eaters.

The God Eaters?

Due to his dissatisfaction with the Church, Luth admired the God Eaters for opposing it.

He must have had contact with them secretly.

Excuse me, Mr. Heath, you've been treating your guesses as conclusions.

Please, just give me the facts, not your reckless speculation.

Luth did have contact with the God Eaters.

Upon hearing [Blissbite] was involved, I ordered a search of his residence.

In his bedroom, we found several brochures related to the God Eaters.

Seems just as I guessed, Miss Detective.

Hold on, we still can't confirm where the drugs came from, just that he had contact with the God Eaters.

To prove your theory, we need more evidence!

Do you understand, Mr. Heath?

Evidence... Of course, I have it!

Not only do I have evidence, but I also know who brought the drugs here!

Miss Rosabelle, you can't deny it anymore, can you?

Me?

Before coming to Botley, you visited somewhere else, didn't you?

And it was one of the God Eaters' bases, wasn't it?

...You're mistaken.

I did go somewhere else before, but that's...

Stop playing dumb!

Admitting the truth now could save you some trouble!

Now tell me, where did you get the [Blissbite], and how did you bring it to my brother?!

Heath, stop!

What did I say wrong!

You're too quick to judge, Heath.

Rosabelle did visit somewhere before the ball, but it was Audrey's place, in Victoria's castle.

They are friends. It's completely reasonable for Rosabelle to visit her.

Victoria is always neutral, we don't need to...

Heath, didn't you hear me?

Rosabelle is a friend of Audrey, the matriarch of the Victoria Family.

...Lord Knox, I'm sorry.

And you've got something else wrong, Mr. Heath.

You thought the [Blissbite] came from the God Eaters... But in fact, what your brother Luth took didn't come from there.

How do you know?

Because, while [Blissbite] is both dangerous in excess and prohibited, it's not lethal.

Only a special type of it can cause sudden death from overdose, and it's only available on the Dark Road in Bifrost.

Having traced this special [Blissbite], I finally arrived here.

You know a lot about it, Miss Christie?

Yes. It's from a professional smuggling ring. Even if I knew where the drugs came from, I still couldn't catch them.

So, I changed my approach. Instead of focusing on the sellers, I started looking for the buyers.

To track them down, I've set up informants almost everywhere...

Mr. Heath, it was your brother Luth who finally led me here.

Since the drugs came from Dark Road and I'm from Eastrise, does that mean I'm innocent now?

Not yet.

Miss Charlotte?

Don't worry, Miss Rosabelle. What you need is just the evidence I have.

What evidence? When did you get it?

Christie, you only focused on the cause of Mr. Luth's death, yet neglected the inspection of his body.

That's why you missed this crucial clue, which led to Mr. Heath's suspicion of Miss Rosabelle.

What clue?

Look at the protruding veins on his arms. This suggests Mr. Luth's health was possibly in very poor condition.

The noblewoman who danced with him lied. After being rejected, Mr. Luth must have tried to force himself on her.

She resisted, causing him to fall, which thus led to his sudden death triggered by intense emotions.

Do you notice something strange now? Despite being a Case, Mr. Heath fell and died far too easily. He was weaker than someone from the old era!

Unusual weakness... This is a symptom that only appears after long-term use of [Blissbite]!

Exactly. It's Miss Rosabelle's first time in Botley, and her first time meeting Mr. Luth.

Even if they had contact before the ball, it hasn't been long.

At this point, the drugs Mr. Luth took couldn't have come from her.

She's completely innocent.

An addict in the Norman family... Lord Knox, how do you explain this?

I'm sorry...

An apology alone won't solve anything, Lord Knox.

We attended this ball because we trusted you, but now, it seems our trust has been misplaced.

I understand that what happened with Luth has caused you to lose trust in the Norman family.

But I assure you, Luth was the only one involved in this.

...He's the only one?

I don't think so.

Not just the Normans, but also the other nobles here... It seems many people have taken this drug.

At a ball like this... couldn't that man have taken it another day?

What's you mean by take it another day?

Why are you so surprised?

It's harmless in small doses, though it's prohibited.

Honestly, I'm a little bit curious about it.

Please don't. Curiosity killed the cat.

Relax, I won't actually try it, just thought about it for a moment.

I got an invite to the Norman family's ball, thinking it would be a good chance to make some business connections.

But once I came to Augustine, I realized it's not as simple as I thought.

Is there anything you can tell me, Audrey?

Well, since you're the one asking...

Campbell belongs to the Holy Lady, Norman to the Pope, and Victoria remains neutral. You're aware of this, right?

But with the Pope's recent absence, it seems the Normans are looking for change.

I believe that's why you've been invited this time. You have something they need.

Seriously...?

I owe you a favor, Audrey.

It's my pleasure, Rosabelle.

Wait a minute... this man... he looks somewhat familiar.

Is he the gossiping man in the reception room earlier?

Yes, his name is Luth Norman, a distant relative of the Norman family.

I'm sorry for all the mess our family has caused today.

This information is too shallow.

I need more details, like his character, and who he was in contact with.

I can tell you everything you want to know.

Who are you?

Heath Norman, the older brother of Luth.

Oh?

Luth was incompetent yet arrogant, believing the Church wasn't fit to rule and the three noble families too cowardly.

He often claimed that, if he were a direct noble of the Normans, he'd have declared war on the Church.

Ridiculous, right?

People like him, inept yet full of themselves, are the most likely to fall into [Blissbite].

But he wasn't an addict. He was too useless to get his hands on such prohibited drugs.

He must have gotten it from an outsider.

That's why I suspect Miss Rosabelle.

She's not just an outsider, but a merchant capable of smuggling.

Sounds reasonable.

I understand your suspicion, but I'm innocent.

You can search my goods and personal belongings.

Everything is open for inspection.

I'm sorry for wronging you, Miss Rosabelle.

But who could it possibly be...?

Is it really impossible for your brother to have obtained this from within the Empire?

If it's from the inside, there's only one possibility...

The God Eaters.

The God Eaters?

Due to his dissatisfaction with the Church, Luth admired the God Eaters for opposing it.

He must have had contact with them secretly.

Excuse me, Mr. Heath, you've been treating your guesses as conclusions.

Please, just give me the facts, not your reckless speculation.

Luth did have contact with the God Eaters.

Upon hearing [Blissbite] was involved, I ordered a search of his residence.

In his bedroom, we found several brochures related to the God Eaters.

Seems just as I guessed, Miss Detective.

Hold on, we still can't confirm where the drugs came from, just that he had contact with the God Eaters.

To prove your theory, we need more evidence!

Do you understand, Mr. Heath?

Evidence... Of course, I have it!

Not only do I have evidence, but I also know who brought the drugs here!

Miss Rosabelle, you can't deny it anymore, can you?

Me?

Before coming to Botley, you visited somewhere else, didn't you?

And it was one of the God Eaters' bases, wasn't it?

...You're mistaken.

I did go somewhere else before, but that's...

Stop playing dumb!

Admitting the truth now could save you some trouble!

Now tell me, where did you get the [Blissbite], and how did you bring it to my brother?!

Heath, stop!

What did I say wrong!

You're too quick to judge, Heath.

Rosabelle did visit somewhere before the ball, but it was Audrey's place, in Victoria's castle.

They are friends. It's completely reasonable for Rosabelle to visit her.

Victoria is always neutral, we don't need to...

Heath, didn't you hear me?

Rosabelle is a friend of Audrey, the matriarch of the Victoria Family.

...Lord Knox, I'm sorry.

And you've got something else wrong, Mr. Heath.

You thought the [Blissbite] came from the God Eaters... But in fact, what your brother Luth took didn't come from there.

How do you know?

Because, while [Blissbite] is both dangerous in excess and prohibited, it's not lethal.

Only a special type of it can cause sudden death from overdose, and it's only available on the Dark Road in Bifrost.

Having traced this special [Blissbite], I finally arrived here.

You know a lot about it, Miss Christie?

Yes. It's from a professional smuggling ring. Even if I knew where the drugs came from, I still couldn't catch them.

So, I changed my approach. Instead of focusing on the sellers, I started looking for the buyers.

To track them down, I've set up informants almost everywhere...

Mr. Heath, it was your brother Luth who finally led me here.

Since the drugs came from Dark Road and I'm from Eastrise, does that mean I'm innocent now?

Not yet.

Miss Charlotte?

Don't worry, Miss Rosabelle. What you need is just the evidence I have.

What evidence? When did you get it?

Christie, you only focused on the cause of Mr. Luth's death, yet neglected the inspection of his body.

That's why you missed this crucial clue, which led to Mr. Heath's suspicion of Miss Rosabelle.

What clue?

Look at the protruding veins on his arms. This suggests Mr. Luth's health was possibly in very poor condition.

The noblewoman who danced with him lied. After being rejected, Mr. Luth must have tried to force himself on her.

She resisted, causing him to fall, which thus led to his sudden death triggered by intense emotions.

Do you notice something strange now? Despite being a Case, Mr. Heath fell and died far too easily. He was weaker than someone from the old era!

Unusual weakness... This is a symptom that only appears after long-term use of [Blissbite]!

Exactly. It's Miss Rosabelle's first time in Botley, and her first time meeting Mr. Luth.

Even if they had contact before the ball, it hasn't been long.

At this point, the drugs Mr. Luth took couldn't have come from her.

She's completely innocent.

An addict in the Norman family... Lord Knox, how do you explain this?

I'm sorry...

An apology alone won't solve anything, Lord Knox.

We attended this ball because we trusted you, but now, it seems our trust has been misplaced.

I understand that what happened with Luth has caused you to lose trust in the Norman family.

But I assure you, Luth was the only one involved in this.

...He's the only one?

I don't think so.

Not just the Normans, but also the other nobles here... It seems many people have taken this drug.

At a ball like this... couldn't that man have taken it another day?

What's you mean by take it another day?

Why are you so surprised?

It's harmless in small doses, though it's prohibited.

Honestly, I'm a little bit curious about it.

Please don't. Curiosity killed the cat.

Relax, I won't actually try it, just thought about it for a moment.

I got an invite to the Norman family's ball, thinking it would be a good chance to make some business connections.

But once I came to Augustine, I realized it's not as simple as I thought.

Is there anything you can tell me, Audrey?

Well, since you're the one asking...

Campbell belongs to the Holy Lady, Norman to the Pope, and Victoria remains neutral. You're aware of this, right?

But with the Pope's recent absence, it seems the Normans are looking for change.

I believe that's why you've been invited this time. You have something they need.

Seriously...?

I owe you a favor, Audrey.

It's my pleasure, Rosabelle.

I'm sorry for wronging you, Miss Rosabelle.

But who could it possibly be...?

Is it really impossible for your brother to have obtained this from within the Empire?

If it's from the inside, there's only one possibility...

The God Eaters.

The God Eaters?

Due to his dissatisfaction with the Church, Luth admired the God Eaters for opposing it.

He must have had contact with them secretly.

Excuse me, Mr. Heath, you've been treating your guesses as conclusions.

Please, just give me the facts, not your reckless speculation.

Luth did have contact with the God Eaters.

Upon hearing [Blissbite] was involved, I ordered a search of his residence.

In his bedroom, we found several brochures related to the God Eaters.

Seems just as I guessed, Miss Detective.

Hold on, we still can't confirm where the drugs came from, just that he had contact with the God Eaters.

To prove your theory, we need more evidence!

Do you understand, Mr. Heath?

Evidence... Of course, I have it!

Not only do I have evidence, but I also know who brought the drugs here!

Miss Rosabelle, you can't deny it anymore, can you?

Me?

Before coming to Botley, you visited somewhere else, didn't you?

And it was one of the God Eaters' bases, wasn't it?

...You're mistaken.

I did go somewhere else before, but that's...

Stop playing dumb!

Admitting the truth now could save you some trouble!

Now tell me, where did you get the [Blissbite], and how did you bring it to my brother?!

Heath, stop!

What did I say wrong!

You're too quick to judge, Heath.

Rosabelle did visit somewhere before the ball, but it was Audrey's place, in Victoria's castle.

They are friends. It's completely reasonable for Rosabelle to visit her.

Victoria is always neutral, we don't need to...

Heath, didn't you hear me?

Rosabelle is a friend of Audrey, the matriarch of the Victoria Family.

...Lord Knox, I'm sorry.

And you've got something else wrong, Mr. Heath.

You thought the [Blissbite] came from the God Eaters... But in fact, what your brother Luth took didn't come from there.

How do you know?

Because, while [Blissbite] is both dangerous in excess and prohibited, it's not lethal.

Only a special type of it can cause sudden death from overdose, and it's only available on the Dark Road in Bifrost.

Having traced this special [Blissbite], I finally arrived here.

You know a lot about it, Miss Christie?

Yes. It's from a professional smuggling ring. Even if I knew where the drugs came from, I still couldn't catch them.

So, I changed my approach. Instead of focusing on the sellers, I started looking for the buyers.

To track them down, I've set up informants almost everywhere...

Mr. Heath, it was your brother Luth who finally led me here.

Since the drugs came from Dark Road and I'm from Eastrise, does that mean I'm innocent now?

Not yet.

Miss Charlotte?

Don't worry, Miss Rosabelle. What you need is just the evidence I have.

What evidence? When did you get it?

Christie, you only focused on the cause of Mr. Luth's death, yet neglected the inspection of his body.

That's why you missed this crucial clue, which led to Mr. Heath's suspicion of Miss Rosabelle.

What clue?

Look at the protruding veins on his arms. This suggests Mr. Luth's health was possibly in very poor condition.

The noblewoman who danced with him lied. After being rejected, Mr. Luth must have tried to force himself on her.

She resisted, causing him to fall, which thus led to his sudden death triggered by intense emotions.

Do you notice something strange now? Despite being a Case, Mr. Heath fell and died far too easily. He was weaker than someone from the old era!

Unusual weakness... This is a symptom that only appears after long-term use of [Blissbite]!

Exactly. It's Miss Rosabelle's first time in Botley, and her first time meeting Mr. Luth.

Even if they had contact before the ball, it hasn't been long.

At this point, the drugs Mr. Luth took couldn't have come from her.

She's completely innocent.

An addict in the Norman family... Lord Knox, how do you explain this?

I'm sorry...

An apology alone won't solve anything, Lord Knox.

We attended this ball because we trusted you, but now, it seems our trust has been misplaced.

I understand that what happened with Luth has caused you to lose trust in the Norman family.

But I assure you, Luth was the only one involved in this.

...He's the only one?

I don't think so.

Not just the Normans, but also the other nobles here... It seems many people have taken this drug.

At a ball like this... couldn't that man have taken it another day?

What's you mean by take it another day?

Why are you so surprised?

It's harmless in small doses, though it's prohibited.

Honestly, I'm a little bit curious about it.

Please don't. Curiosity killed the cat.

Relax, I won't actually try it, just thought about it for a moment.

I got an invite to the Norman family's ball, thinking it would be a good chance to make some business connections.

But once I came to Augustine, I realized it's not as simple as I thought.

Is there anything you can tell me, Audrey?

Well, since you're the one asking...

Campbell belongs to the Holy Lady, Norman to the Pope, and Victoria remains neutral. You're aware of this, right?

But with the Pope's recent absence, it seems the Normans are looking for change.

I believe that's why you've been invited this time. You have something they need.

Seriously...?

I owe you a favor, Audrey.

It's my pleasure, Rosabelle.