A week ago, Prinzregentenstraße.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mister Schneider?"
The mayor of Munich, Friedemann Adler, greeted him with a cordial smile, though the unease in his tone didn't escape Julius's notice. No matter how unexpected or presumptuous Julius's arrival was, someone of his status couldn't be easily dismissed.
"I'll be blunt, Mayor," Julius said. "I'm currently running away from my family. So, I'd like to hide in your home for the time being."
"Y-Yes? Come again?" Adler blinked, unsure if he'd heard correctly.
"You heard me. I need somewhere quiet, and your home happens to be ideal. I'll stay out of your way. Think of it as… a noble guest seeking temporary refuge."
Adler glanced at Julius's driver, who looked just as bewildered. Hosting the youngest of the Schneider family was no small matter. Yet refusing him outright might as well be considered political suicide.
"I—I see. If that's the case, then you're welcome to stay as long as you wish," Adler said, forcing a nervous smile. "May I ask, though, what brings you to Munich of all places?"
"Just because," Julius replied casually. "Don't worry, I won't get in your way. And if you're concerned about how my family might perceive this later, I'll make sure you're protected. It's not as if they'll find out, anyway."
He glanced around the mansion's interior.
"For your generosity, consider me owing you a favor from now on."
Adler blinked, his nervousness replaced by interest. A favor from a Schneider was not something one turned down.
"O-Of course," Adler said, bowing his head slightly. "It's an honor to be of service."
"Raise your head. You're the mayor, not some servant. My father may sit on the Federal Assembly of the United European Republic, but that doesn't make you any less of a man in your own city."
"...Yes."
* * *
After settling his things in the mayor's home, Julius took note of the interior, comparing it to the archived images projected in his retina by SIBYL.
The mansion looked clean at the moment, with everything in order. Yet, in the articles from a time yet to come, the same house was drenched in blood. Walls were smeared, floors were shattered, and furniture had been overturned.
In those photos, Friedemann Adler, the mayor of Munich, had been mauled and mangled beyond recognition. Whoever the Manticore was, she had specifically targeted the mayor.
But that wasn't all.
According to the reports, the mayor's entire family had been murdered as well. His wife's body was filled with wounds resembling claw strikes, but the daughter's case stood out the most for Julius.
Unlike the others, her corpse had been torn apart and dismembered. And due to the nature of the case, it clearly wasn't random. But, perhaps, personal.
As if the Manticore had loathed the daughter most of all.
"How long will you be staying here for, Mister Schneider?"
"Ah? Yes, I'm not sure yet," Julius replied. "Perhaps as long as necessary."
Across the room, Adler's daughter, Marianne, sat in the living room, watching Julius as he surveyed the mansion's interior.
Julius turned, meeting her gaze. "You must be Marianne."
"Yes," she said, standing politely. "Welcome to our home, Mister Schneider."
"Thank you," Julius replied, taking a seat by the window. "Your father was kind enough to let me stay for a while."
Marianne offered a small nod before looking away, as if unsure how to continue.
"I understand completely," she said. "Wanting to run away, I mean."
"You make it sound like you've done it yourself, Miss Marianne."
Marianne laughed softly. "Haven't we all thought about it? Munich looks grand from the outside, but living here feels like being trapped in a cage."
Julius watched her closely. "Then why not leave?" he asked.
Marianne looked toward the window. "Because some cages don't have locks. Just walls made of people you can't disappoint."
It was the sort of complaint Julius had heard too many times before. The kind only the privileged ever seemed to have.
And yet, he understood it all too well.
"What if I ran away too, Mister Schneider?" Marianne asked. "Would you take me in and let me hide in your home?"
"That depends. Are you running from someone, or from yourself?"
Marianne smiled. "Does it matter? Either way, I'd still be running."
"True," Julius said. "But running without a destination just means you'll end up right where you started."
"Hmm… Is that so…?"
Another day passed, and the Adlers still couldn't figure Julius out. Not once had he left the estate. He didn't use the study, he didn't make any requests, and he didn't even bother to engage with anyone in the household.
All he ever did was wander around the mansion as if inspecting the place, then sit by the gazebo for hours, sipping tea.
What unsettled them most was how he sometimes spoke to himself.
'Schizophrenia?' Marianne thought as she watched him from her window. He must've been schizophrenic.
——There's a third party…
——A mastermind, a mastermind…
"...."
That was all Marianne kept hearing from him that afternoon.
Just like that, the days passed like a blur. It was then, however, when news struck the Adler mansion.
"...My secretary?"
The words left Friedemann Adler's mouth in disbelief. His secretary had been found hanging from the ceiling, the same way Professor Herschel had died.
Hearing the report, Julius swallowed hard. He had intruded on the mayor's home to deal with the Manticore himself. But it was clear now that there was a bigger problem at hand.
There was a third party involved.
It was obvious. Every one of the Manticore's victims had been mauled to death. For someone capable of tearing their prey apart, a clean hanging made no sense at all.
"Elena Kasner… Who is that?" Friedemann asked, turning toward the police officers at his door.
"According to the Revenant Knights stationed in Munich," one of the officers replied, "she's been linked to both victims. Furthermore, it's been confirmed that Elena Kasner is responsible for the string of animalistic murders that have taken place this year."
They handed him a photo.
Friedemann's eyes widened. His jaw fell slack. "...This person."
"Do you happen to know her, Mayor?"
"Yes," he said. "She's… the young woman who helps out with my medical checkups…"
At that moment, the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. As the officers left, Julius stood by the window with his arms crossed. When Friedemann walked past him, Julius spoke.
"Mayor, is that true?"
"Ah, yes, Mister Schneider," Adler replied with a nod. "I often receive my checkups at Heilige Kreuz Hospital. That woman works there. She was polite… always made sure I was comfortable."
Julius closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking back at him.
"Mayor," he said, "is there any possibility you might have an illegitimate child?"
"What—?!" Friedemann paused. "What are you implying, M-Mister Schneider?"
"Answer the question."
"No," Adler replied. "I love my wife, and my wife only. I have never been unfaithful."
Julius nodded. According to SIBYL's retinal scan, the readings confirmed that Adler wasn't lying.
"Then… Mayor, do you mind if I make a few preparations?"
"Preparations?" Friedemann asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm led to believe Elena Kasner will come to see you soon enough."
"Why would she do that? If that's true, we should contact the Knights and the police immediately."
Julius shook his head.
"That won't do."
* * *
Elena Kasner lay dead before Julius. He had set up layers of containment within the mansion, but in the end, it hadn't even been necessary. She had arrived already half-dead. Finishing her off had been effortless.
"You can come out now, Mayor," Julius said. "I've dealt with the pest."
From behind the barricade, Mayor Adler and his family walked out cautiously. Julius had instructed them to stay where he could see them, within the range of the electromagnetic barrier that sealed the living room.
When their eyes met the scene before them, all color drained from their faces. Elena's head had rolled off her body, her blood pooling across the marble floor. The air reeked of iron.
But what truly horrified them wasn't the corpse. It was the man standing over it. Julius Schneider, his coat splattered with blood, methodically wiped his steel blade clean as if he were finishing a mundane chore.
"M-Mister Schneider… are you hurt anywhere?" Marianne asked, her voice trembling.
"Not at all."
Julius was just about to kneel and inspect the body when the front doors burst open. Several armed men stormed in.
"Mayor! We're—"
"Ah."
Julius turned to face them, a sneer curling at his lip.
"You sure took your sweet time, Gabriel."
Gabriel froze. His eyes widened as the sight before him sank in. All at once, Gabriel rushed forward and grabbed Julius by the collar. Julius didn't resist, but his expression darkened with irritation.
"Julius, why… why are you here?!"
Julius met his gaze coldly. "Let go of me."