File 1: Report on the Condition of the Body
The body had several stab wounds — a total of eleven on the torso — and a broken left leg. The victim was likely punched or struck in the throat. There were no signs of choking. The body appeared to have been only an hour old when it was found. The victim likely bled to death.
There were clear signs of struggle, as bruising patterns across the torso and limbs indicated repeated blunt-force impacts consistent with strikes delivered by hands and feet. Facial musculature was fixed in an expression suggestive of acute distress or surprise at the time of death.
***
File 2: Details on the Victim
Name: Evan Brundestter
Age: 41
Occupation: Butler of the Stuart family
Physical Condition: The victim suffered from no prior illness and was physically active and healthy.
Speculated Time of Death: Around 2 PM
Time When the Body Was Found: 3:26 PM
Weapon Used: Not found
The victim's body was discovered by a maid in the attic of the mansion when she went there in search of kitchen supplies.
Nothing seemed to have been stolen from the victim's body. He was found carrying a wallet and a handkerchief.
Testimonies from other witnesses state that the victim had been seen working normally just an hour before the body was discovered.
According to Cedric Stuart, the lord of the mansion, he had previously given Evan the task of sorting and bringing documents from his office, and there was no reason for him to go to the attic.
According to the victim's family, Evan had no unpaid debts or major quarrels in the past.
***
Antonio read the documents carefully, observing every minor detail.
Austin stood nearby the entire time, watching him closely.
It wasn't as though Antonio hadn't noticed him staring — he simply didn't know what to say.
After finishing reading, he closed the files and gently placed them on the table.
Giving a brief glance at Austin, he said —
"Take a seat. I have a few questions to ask you."
"Oh… um—okay," Austin replied nervously.
Antonio — or rather Noctis — grew uneasy, as he didn't understand why the man in front of him was acting so strangely.
The Austin he knew from Antonio's memories always spoke with confidence, even in Antonio's presence.
He couldn't help but worry.
'Is my act that obvious…'
"Austin."
"Y-Yes?"
"Why are you acting so strangely today? You can speak with me comfortably."
"Uh… it's just that… sir, you seem to have a rather different attitude today. So I couldn't help but feel that something was off."
"Is that right? Then you can expect me to behave like this from now on until this case is solved," Antonio said, crossing his arms.
"I understand," Austin replied as he sat down.
"Then I'll proceed. It says here that the victim's family claims he had no bad history with anyone. Is that true?"
"Yes, that's correct. We even investigated further on our own and found nothing of the sort."
"Then did he get into any conflicts with the servants in the mansion or fall out with them?"
"Nothing of the sort was reported. We questioned several servants, and they stated that Evan Brundestter was a humble man who rarely got angry."
"Rarely? Doesn't that mean he did get angry sometimes?"
"Yes, but the servants said the most he ever did was scold or correct them. He never showed any violent behaviour."
"I see," Antonio said, resting his chin on his hand.
"What about the maid who discovered the body? What kind of 'kitchen supplies' was she looking for in the attic?"
"She stated that she was specifically searching for a large pot, as the previous one had become old and damaged."
"Hm… the report states that Evan had been assigned the task of arranging and retrieving documents. Were any documents found near the body?"
"No. Not a single piece of paper was found."
"Then were any documents stolen or reported missing?"
"No. Lord Cedric did not mention any missing documents."
'Then this must have happened before he went to retrieve them…
If the body had several stab wounds, he would have definitely screamed.
Then how did no one hear him? Is the attic that isolated?
No… the report also states he was struck in the throat.
Perhaps he was silenced first… and then attacked.'
Something about the situation didn't make sense, and Antonio was fully aware of it.
He thought deeply for a moment before turning his gaze back to Austin.
"Arrange a meeting with the doctor who conducted the postmortem, and send a letter to the Stuart mansion in my name informing them of my visit. You're dismissed."
"Understood."
Antonio sat quietly in his office, rereading the documents while trying to reconstruct how the incident might have unfolded.
But each time he reached a possible conclusion, the information either felt incomplete or contradicted another clue entirely.
The clock struck twelve.
'It's time for the training session, huh…
I'll just practice shooting. I don't feel like doing physical training yet.'
Antonio put on his training uniform and made his way toward the training grounds.
Officers of the Blackthorn Investigation Department followed a strict routine.
The entire department was divided into four separate buildings, each functioning as its own unit.
Every building participated in training sessions in rotation.
Today was the second department's turn — the one in which Antonio worked.
Antonio prepared his firearm at the shooting range.
"You go ahead first," he said to Austin, who stood nearby holding a rifle.
Antonio watched carefully as Austin began his shooting practice.
He already knew from inherited memories that Austin was an excellent marksman, but seeing it firsthand was still impressive.
Austin was able to hit bullseyes at long range even without using a scope.
Although Antonio himself was also skilled at shooting, he wasn't quite as proficient as Austin when it came to long-distance accuracy.
They continued practicing quietly.
Antonio also needed time to adjust to his new body. Although he had inherited Antonio's skills, he still needed practice to perform at the same level as the original.
Suddenly, Austin spoke.
"Sir… I've never seen you use that revolver before."
Antonio paused while reloading and turned toward him.
"Well, I recently bought it."
"Is that so? It looks quite advanced," Austin said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Well… I had it custom-made."
Both of them fell silent until the bell rang, signalling the end of the training session.
It was 2 PM.
They left the training grounds and headed for the lunch break.
Seated across from each other in the cafeteria, they were soon joined by two others.
Antonio recognized them immediately — close colleagues of his.
Hughes Beckman and Jill Carter.
"Good afternoon, Sir Antonio. Austin," they greeted.
Antonio and Austin returned the greeting.
All four of them ate quietly for a while.
Until—
"Sir Antonio, I heard you've been investigating the Stuart mansion murder case. It must be quite difficult proceeding without any clues," Jill remarked.
"It is. Perhaps you have any insights regarding it?" Antonio asked without lifting his gaze from his food.
"Oh, none at all. But my father was quite close to Lord Cedric and the late Sir Evan, so I thought to ask whether you had found anything."
"I understand. I'll try my best to find the culprit."
"Oh, but I might have a guess as to who it could be," Hughes interrupted.
"Oh? May I know who?" Antonio turned his gaze towards Hughes.
"Yes, who do you suspect, Hughes?" Jill asked with interest.
"Lucien Graves. Leader of the Graves Merchant Guild. I heard he had a feud with Lord Cedric regarding the transportation of wine to the Imperial Palace. Eventually, the Stuart Guild secured the rights… supposedly using some dirty tricks."
"When exactly did this happen?" Antonio asked seriously.
"About four months ago."
"And what kind of dirty tricks are you referring to?"
"That… I don't know. I only heard it as a rumour."
"I see. But you shouldn't trust rumours so easily," Antonio said calmly.
"But do you really think Lucien would go as far as committing murder for revenge?" Jill asked, raising a brow.
"These days, anything is possible," Hughes replied.
Austin remained silent throughout the conversation but listened intently.
"I think we should end this discussion here. The break is almost over," Antonio said, wiping his mouth with his handkerchief.
"Oh… I got so carried away talking that I didn't even notice the time," Hughes said with an awkward smile.
"Then, if you'll excuse us," Antonio said before leaving with Austin.
Antonio walked toward his office, deep in thought, with Austin following closely behind.
"Austin."
"Yes?"
"Bring me a background report on Lucien Graves by tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
"Also… how long would it take to arrange a personal meeting with him?" Antonio asked while opening his office door.
"With your status, it should take about three days."
"Good. Then arrange a meeting with him after our visit to the Stuart mansion."
Antonio stepped inside.
"We have things to catch up on."