The Confession

All but the duke and the man called Stephan resisted their arrests.

Some were injured in the operation, but none of them had life threatening wounds.

Henry Wilbert and Stephan were separated from their co-conspirators and brought onboard the HMS Virginia, the Royal Family’s private airship escorted by two military capital ship class airships and several dozen smaller fighters and airships.

The airship had been carrying both the Queen and her husband when the arrests were made but, due to the severity of the situation, it was determined that it was best for the Virginia to pick the two most valuable criminals.

Alice and Charlotte were permitted aboard along with Grace who had tried to speak with her father in vain. Chairman Kingsley invited John onboard, but John demanded that Arc, Peter, Reiss and Emilia be permitted onboard too.

“There is a very real chance that this case involves all of them as much as it does us,” the detective reasoned.

They departed as soon as everyone was onboard and then began the flight back to the capital.

It wasn’t a long flight, but everyone was on edge.

A grand conspiracy that threatened to overturn the monarchy and destroy the hard-fought peace in their home had just ended, and everyone was anxious for answers.

However.

“Has he said anything yet?”

“Nowhere near as much as the duke,” Kingsley grunted. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Everything. The fact that they tried to stage a coup. The fact they had access to so much high-teach gear. Or how about that every single member minus the duke and Stephan are passing the buck and begging for mercy.”

“…I agree,” John said. “There’s definitely something different or perhaps special about-”

“Are the irregulars out there?”

Stephan’s sudden question caught them off guard.

“Hmm, maybe I should use that strange word the Boss taught me.” Stephan smiled. “Are the reincarnated out there?”

“…Call the kids down here, now.”

“John? What’s-? You look pale. What did he-?”

“Later. Just…get them here and quickly, please.”

***

“Ah, yes, we were right with our initial investigations.

“Alice Eagold, John Moriarty, Reiss Sunderland, Arc Luminous, Charlotte de Vas, Emilia, Peter and…” He grinned. “Grace Wilbert.”

“…You…it’s your fault.”

“Grace?”

“It’s your fault dad-!”

“Grace!” The detective’s loud voice forcefully calmed her down. “Don’t fall for his provocations.”

“How can a simple greeting be a provocation?”

John glared at him. “It is when you smile like that, escapee of Tartarus.”

Everyone around him seem shocked, except for Reiss and Arc.

“Are you Japanese?”

“Reiss?”

“I’m not.”

“Then, how’d you know what he asked?”

“Because, Arc, I have been trained on what to say by my boss what to say if you did ever capture one of us,” Stephan said. “No need to be surprised by his question, Alice; he was simply checking if I was like him…a Reincarnator. Did I pronounce it properly?”

“Do you know what that word means?”

“No, but I have a decent idea of what it could mean. I don’t have an exact equivalent in our language, I’m afraid.”

“Let’s get back on track.” John sat down at the table and everyone else gathered behind him. “What’s your name?”

“Surely you know, Mr Detective.”

“It’s for the record. We’re doing things properly.”

Stephan smirked. “Stephan Ulbert, 38 years of age, former inmate of the maximum-security wing of Tartarus who was meant to be serving 300 years for running economic operations that caused famines, poverty and restricted the flow of wealth to the lower classes.”

“…The stuff in the economic state, was that-?”

“Of course, I organised it.” Stephan shrugged at Reiss’s question. “Well, it was meant to work out that I would become the sole ruler of Jerthe, but then I was caught, and the Economic State was brought under the kingdom’s protection. As I understand it, my best laid plans would have led to its eventual ruin, but certain events happened that prevented that future.”

“…Who do you work for?”

“I shall refrain from answering for now.”

“Why?”

Stephan gave Alice a quick glance, a gesture only she and John noticed, and then said, “I can tell you the name of the group I work for and its other members, but not her, not the boss."

"That’s a start.” John leant forward. “But we already know you’re called the Pentagram. The question is why-?”

“Because there are only 5 of us and there will only ever be 5 of us.”

“That’s got to be a lie,” Arc grunted.

“It’s the truth.”

“Then, what about Duke Wilbert and his accomplices?”

Arc’s abrupt tone greatly upset Grace, but he didn’t see her expression out of the corner of his eye.

“Ah, the duke wasn’t ever a member of our group,” Stephan explained. “He was just someone that we used to bring ourselves into the limelight, and we succeeded with flying colours.”

“What about Lucien?” Emilia chimed in.

“Ah, yes, Lucien - the blunt brute himself. Yes, he’s one of us and yes, he has helped the Pentagram reach its goals, but he didn’t take part in the attack at the school, nor does he get involved in the more complex manners of the Pentagram’s goals.”

“…Is that so?”

“I wouldn’t be so relieved if I were you, young Peter,” Stephan called to him. “Lucien would never have come to save and train you if the boss hadn’t ordered him to.”

“Which then brings us nicely to the next question.” John frowned. “Why did your boss order Lucien to save Peter and Matilda?”

“…There were two reasons. The first was to alert any and all irregulars to our existence. The second…” Stephan trailed off on purpose, turning his head slightly to the right-hand wall. “I’ll explain later.”

Arc chuckled angrily. “You’re just wasting our time.”

“Not at all. I’m simply giving you a chance to gather more information first.”

“…Alright. So? How did you escape Tartarus?”

“The boss did that all by herself,” Stephan chuckled. “It was impressive. Even with that dampener around her neck, she still broke free, busted us out and we raided that wonderful vault for all our worldly belongings…and.” He glanced at the two-way window where Queen Elisebeth and her entourage were waiting. “The Boss picked up something very nice for herself.”

…There was something in there then, John noted. “Who else broke out?”

“I can tell you everyone but the Boss’s name, at the moment. There was, of course, myself and Lucien. Then, there was Emilia’s lovely master, Samantha, the Last Vampire, and another woman - Risa.”

“Risa?”

Stephan chuckled. “None of us know a thing about her. The Boss seems to, but I’m too scared to ask.” He looked at Emilia and Peter. “If you two think your masters’ are powerful, you truly haven’t seen true power.”

“Get to the point!” Reiss demanded, slamming his hands on the table. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because the Boss ordered us.”

“Why though?”

“Oh, that why? Hmm…I have no idea.”

“…What?”

Stephan laughed. “Honestly, even after all these years of following her orders, pushing the pieces across the board and bringing all of you together, I have no idea what the Boss wants. Maybe she has some grand, far reaching plan that us mere mortals can only dream of glimpsing. Maybe she’s a rebel or an agent for an enemy nation.

“Or maybe she has no goal at all and just wanted to mess with you all. In that sense, she’s done quite a great job.”

“…Mess with us?” Grace muttered.

Stephan looked at her. “We destroyed the Silent Sect, killed the mercenary companies who would sew chaos, created pawns and ordered them around as we liked. Of course, the coup de grace was turning the loving father into our bitch.”

“You-!”

“Grace, don’t!”

“Let me go, Alice!”

“He wants you to attack him! He wants you to kill him!”

“Well, it’s better her than the alternative.”

“Stephan?”

“Then, shall we proceed to the finale?” Stephan asked.

“Finale?” Arc repeated.

“Of this conversation? Of my life? Of the prologue? Whatever makes you feel the safest.”

“What are you-?”

“Alice Eagold. You’re a highly intelligent young woman; you must have been wondering for so long about something, right? Something about why Reiss and Arc came up to you one day and spoke that strange language to you?”

When she didn’t answer, Stephan’s smile grew.

“You must have been questioning why for so, so long. Why did they speak to me in that language? What were they hoping to learn? Why is it now that Reiss, Arc and John are all asking about that same language, and about ‘changes’ or ‘differences’? What could it all mean? Changes? Differences? What do they have to do with me?

“Earlier, I said the perfect response to their question about if I was like them and they were asking about Peter, Grace and the others, right?” Stephan laughed. “I’m sure you’ve already started putting some things together but allow me to put the last puzzle piece in place.

“Do you remember, Alice, when you were young? In the woods? Lost and far from home? Hungry wolves drawing closer to you? Quite remarkable how your saviour, the woman you admire and love more than anything in this world appeared at the last minute to save you, no?”

Alice had always held those questions somewhere in her chest, but her heart told her to ignore them.

Don’t worry about them.

But no matter how much time passed, Alice’s head would sometimes float those questions to her.

But then Reiss and Arc had approached her and spoken in a language she’d never heard.

Rose would sometimes reappear and then vanish the very next day.

There were too many strange things happening in and around her life and Alice didn’t know why.

“For Reiss, Arc and John, you were meant to have died that day, Alice Eagold.”

Her blood ran cold as her vision began to blur, and her ears began to ring. “…What?”

“Reiss Sunderland knew who you were because he’s asked one day by the mourning Eagold family to find your remains in those woods, and all they find is that pendant around your neck with a family portrait inside.”

“…No…you’re lying…” Alice clutched onto the locket tightly as her hands shook and her body went into shock. “…She…n-no, no! It’s a lie, right? Reiss, Arc, tell me it’s-!”

“Well, what’s the contents right now, Alice Eagold?! Whose picture is that?!”

Alice felt her throat close.

She desperately clutched her pendant before dropping onto her knees.

Charlotte and Grace ran to her side as, with trembling fingers, Alice opened her locket and revealed the picture.

It was a picture of a person that only 4 people knew the name of.

“Your beloved mentor! Your saviour! The woman you love! My boss! Rose-!”

Cannons roared and the airship shook.

“And she’s come to stop me saying anything more!” Stephan laughed wildly as sirens and alarms sounded.