Outside Room 304 of the St. Ursula Hospital, the SSS plus Yin walked away until they were on the corner before Lloyd let out a frustrated sigh.

"Lloyd?" Elie noticed the frustration in Lloyd's tone.

"You seemed to notice something when that nurse talked," Yin addressed Lloyd, who had been silent since before they entered Room 304.

"Juna still didn't know Dr. Guenter's suspicious act," Lloyd explained.

"...That's certainly true. Even Cecile didn't know," Tio agreed with what Lloyd said.

"Wait, you don't mean that this attack happened without Juna knowing who's the culprit?" Elie gasped when she realized what Lloyd implied.

"Damn it!" Randy punched the wall in frustration.

"Right. I have a feeling that Dr. Mark's absence from Cecile's story is a deliberate act by Dr. Guenter. Most probably, he was drugged like the mafioso we had to fight," Lloyd continued telling them his theory.

"It makes sense," Tio nodded.

"What is the purpose of setting that up and attacking this hospital?" Yin questioned the detective.

Lloyd looked at the robed figure with a frown.

"That's true. I still hadn't grasped the purpose of attacking the hospital," Lloyd lied naturally as he breathed. Unfortunately for Lloyd, one figure noticed it. "In any case, we'll get our answer when we confront him. Let's look for Juna on our way to the neurology department."

The five of them continued their way, opening the door to the rooftop. Looking around for clues of Juna's whereabouts, they found an unconscious Doven Kaiser and a wounded, knocked-out Revache goon.

"That's..." Elie exclaimed in surprise.

Her reaction was understandable, as Juna did her best to incapacitate the other mafiosos non-lethally before. What made Juna have to carve a big wound on the mafioso's chest this time?

"Look at this," Yin pointed out, far from the place where the goon laid down.

"Could it be Juna's blood?" Tio questioned, saying what was on everyone's mind.

"It could be that guy's, though I'm not so sure about it," Randy offered his thoughts.

Lloyd bit his lip. He had a feeling that everybody knew whose blood was splattered on the ground. It was just none of them wanted to acknowledge it. The thought of Juna being wounded because she was alone was just...

Unconsciously, Lloyd's grip on his two tonfas tightened.

"There's no sign of her jumping from here to the ground. Nor was there any blood near the debris blocking the bridge between this building and the dormitory. You already know where she is," Yin provided his findings to the SSS.

Indeed.

Lloyd looked at the research ward building. It seemed to loom over them.

On the corner of his eyes, he spotted a movement of the door. Preparing his tonfa, Lloyd went into a stance to face any possible threat.

A mysterious fog emerged from inside the building, accompanied by two flying, wiggling mollusk-shaped creatures that looked straight out of hell.

"W-What is that!" Elie managed to shout despite being stunned by their appearance.

"And the fog, too. Tio-tot, can you find out if it's dangerous?" Randy turned towards the blue-haired girl.

"Access. Analysis starts," Tio quickly turned on her senses to find out about them. "Confirming the nonexistence of the higher elements. This isn't like the Stargazer Tower. The fog itself doesn't feel dangerous. I can't pick up anything."

The two monsters flew towards them.

"They're approaching! Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

After the battle, which was definitely not easy, Lloyd posited his theory that the monsters were drugged with Gnosis, too, just like the mafioso. Everyone voiced their agreement before braving the research ward building together. On the second floor, they found the rest of the staff still unaccounted for: Dr. Gailey, Chief Ursuline, and Dr. Lago.

Really, the only one unaccounted for is Dr. Guenter.

Ursuline did say that she saw a plain-looking man bringing the monsters into the research ward. That was another clue, although 'plain-looking' was too broad for him to even think about the culprit. If Juna was there with them, he was sure that Juna would've caught something from that and worked an answer.

After scouring every nook and cranny of the research ward, they finally arrived at the fourth floor, where Dr. Guenter's room was located. Lloyd looked at the others, who nodded at him. Juna and Dr. Guenter were still not found. This was the last room in the research ward.

Lloyd then opened the door before leading everyone to follow him inside.

The mysterious fog was still present inside Dr. Guenter's room. The room was dimly lit by the moonlight coming from the opened window. Nearby, a figure showed their back towards them.

"Earlier than I expected," the figure said, a clear male voice that was familiar to them.

"Ernest!" Elie declared in surprise. How couldn't she? Everyone expected the confrontation with Dr. Guenter but instead met someone who should have been in jail.

"Hello, Elie. It's been about two months now, hasn't it? The night is young, yet the moon looks positively gorgeous," Ernest turned towards them, showing the SSS his entire appearance.

(It was just a blink, but Lloyd swore Yin was trying to hold back his laugh.)

"Ernest... Your eyes...!"

Indeed. Ernest's eyes were demonic red. A clear sign that he was different from before.

"Hmph. He's already given up his humanity," Yin remarked with a huff.

"Oh, the legendary Yin has graced us with his presence, has he? My future would have been secure-if only you kept your damn mouths shut. Allow me this opportunity to sincerely express my gratitude towards you all," Ernest declared.

"The shadows are my domain... and I won't allow anyone to steal my name for their own ends. Especially those who offer their souls to demons," was Yin's sharp reply.

"So you are the one responsible for manipulating the monsters here," Tio concluded.

"How the heck are you out of jail?" Randy asked in surprise.

"More importantly, why are you here?" Elie gathered her composure and questioned the older man.

They all voiced the questions in Lloyd's mind, but weirdly enough, Lloyd didn't care for the answers.

"Heh, heh. Prison? That pathetic building, just like this hospital, has already fallen into our hands," Ernest laughed at the questions aimed at him.

"The prison guards should all be members of the CGF stationed at Bellguard Gate... Are you sayin' the mafia attacked the gate, too?!"

"Heh. Not exactly," Ernest rebuked Randy's conclusion. "Also, don't mix us up with those pieces of filth, Revache. They're nothing more than puppets to help us achieve our goals."

Lloyd's mind was still ignoring the scene in front of him. Everything took a backseat to gather every evidence they found on their way here.

Signs of Juna's struggle, the mafias controlled by Gnosis, Dr. Guenter's disappearance, and the fact that Juna was still nowhere to be found. He couldn't ignore the possibility any longer.

"Dr. Mark's absence... The call to Arios last night... Shizuku being held up for one more day... And the attack on the hospital. Everything was set up for a singular purpose."

Lloyd interrupted, laying out the fact before he took a deep breath. His words caught everyone's attention, and now all of them, including Ernest, was looking at him.

He only needed confirmation from the former secretary to complete his conclusion.

"Where is Juna?!"

The other SSS members were caught off-guard by Lloyd's growl.

Ernest let out a booming laugh.

"Hahahahaha! Juna Crawford... is in our hands!"

Randy clicked his tongue. "Damn it!"

Elie gasped at what she heard. "Ernest... why did you take Juna?"

"Because my comrade foresees that the girl might be a thorn in our plan. She's an unpredictable wildcard. That's why we had to remove her from our way," Ernest revealed, a smug grin decorating his face.

Wild card? It was true that the SSS got a lot of help from Juna and her uncanny ability to predict everything correctly, even the fact that they would face the remnants of the cult. However, her ability was not publicly known. Only a small circle of connected people knew what Juna could do with enough information.

"There is one thing I don't understand. How did your partner know of Juna? No," Tio shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "I mean, Dr. Guenter already knew Juna, but I don't think he knows exactly how valuable Juna is."

Indeed. That was the missing link in Lloyd's recreation of the timeline of events. After all, if Joachim Guenter already knew since the start, then he would've removed Juna sooner. There must be something he missed in his analysis.

"Hmm, so you already deduce that much, huh? No matter. None of you can do anything now. If you want to know the answer, you can get it after defeating me!"

"Haaa... Haa..." Lloyd panted in exhaustion. Behind him, the others were also panting, except Yin, who kept his even breathing throughout the fight. In fact, Yin was the one who delivered the final 'blow' on Ernest.

In front of them, Ernest was on his knees.

"Heh, as expected of you, Yin. Defeating me as I am now is proof that you're even more of a monster than you're rumored to be..."

Yin only scoffed in reply. "Hmph."

"And I admit, I wasn't expecting the four of you to put up such a fight. You've exceeded all my expectations," Ernest finished with a mocking smile.

"Ernest, why are you doing this?!" Elie called out. Perhaps she still couldn't accept how different the Ernest in front of them was from the Ernest she had known all her life. "Betraying Grandfather and becoming a lapdog of this monstrous cult... How did you fall this low?!"

"Me? Fallen? No, Elie, I've simply come to realize the truth," Ernest shook his head before sporting a grin. "Oh, yes... I understand the true meaning behind this land of Crossbell... I can see everything for what it really is now!

"..."

"Utter nonsense," Tio muttered with a sigh.

Randy just snorted. "This guy's out of his mind."

However, Lloyd noted everything Ernest said, committing them to his memories.

"Former First Secretary, Ernest Reis... Under state law, you are hereby under arrest on the charges of assault, incitement of a riot, unlawful seizure of property, drug use, jailbreak, kidnapping, and more. Surrender and come quietly!"

Ernest did not buckle.

"Why the rush, Bannings? The night has just begun...and the show our comrade has written is just starting. Your personal invitation is right over there," Ernest pointed at the table.

Everyone turned their attention there except for Lloyd.

"Irrelevant," he quickly turned the others' attention back to Ernest. "If it's just information, I'm sure we could uncover everything ourselves. It's probably about KeA, right? She's vital for Crossbell's future. No, Ernest, the more important thing here is you. Where did you take Juna?"

For a moment, Ernest looked surprised at Lloyd's words. He took a deep breath and released a booming laugh. "Hahahahahaha! Judging by the surprise of your teammates, can I assume that you hid this information from them?"

"Lloyd, what did you mean by that?"

Lloyd did not answer them. Not because he didn't want to answer them but because he didn't want to tip Ernest off about Juna's ability.

"Juna's location is written there. As I said, my great comrade has set up such a fun show. It wouldn't do to go off the script."

"And I guess the script includes you getting away from us? No chance," Lloyd answered.

"That's what you would think," Ernest smirked.

Suddenly, Tio gasped. "I picked up a presence!"

"Reinforcement?" Elie looked around.

Lloyd knew where this was going. Ernest wouldn't try to defeat them now that he knew his current power wasn't enough. He even tried to distract them before. So what he wanted to do was obvious.

"Ernest!" Lloyd was the only one who ran towards Ernest. Half a second later, Yin reacted by doing the same.

However, it was too late.

Ernest, using all the strength left in his body, jumped outside the window.

"He jumped?!" Randy asked out loud, surprised by what happened.

"No," Tio denied. "An escape plan."

Indeed. They saw Ernest grabbing tight into a giant dragon, flying away from the hospital.

"Kh..." Lloyd was frustrated with himself for realizing Ernest's plan too late.

"T-That just now is..."

"It appeared to be Ancient Winged Dragon," Tio sighed in resignation.

No wonder Tio picked up the signature of something. It was a giant dragon they encountered in the Stargazer Tower before.

"Oi, oi, things just keep getting crazier!" Randy exclaimed in confusion.

"Hmph. I suppose it's impossible for us to pursue him now," Yin cooly backed off. "Time is of the essence. Hurry and take a look at his 'invitation.' After all, it must have been prepared by Reis' so-called comrade."

Lloyd nodded, agreeing with the robed assassin.

"That's right... Let's check it out."

The five of them crowded around the table. There were two files, one in black and one in white. Both of them had the symbol of a glowing red eye attached to a purple door with two keyholes and two pairs of wings.

"That symbol..." Lloyd's words grabbed everyone's attention, who now focused on the book.

"Could this be the official crest of D∴G Cult...?" Tio wondered aloud.

Lloyd is inclined to agree with Tio. This was a document pertaining to the cult, and it has a symbol. It pointed to the same conclusion Tio had.

"Hmm..." Elie thought for a second before she gasped, "Everyone, it's similar to the symbol we found in the temple!"

"You're right," Randy said after he squinted. "That temple was also the place we had to fight some fiend."

"Hoo? Such a place exists in Crossbell?" Yin asked with some interest.

"Yes. It's similar to the tower you had us go to," Lloyd nodded. "Anyway, let's check the file."

Lloyd opened the file case and found several documents inside. One section detailed Hartmann and his involvement with the cult. Apparently, the cult held some blackmail over him. That was how Joachim had free reign in Crossbell. One term caught Lloyd's interest. 'Paradise.' He had the feeling it wasn't the paradise as imagined by the Church.

"I can't believe it..." Elie said with a gasp at what they were reading.

"Heh, it seems that the world is beyond saving," Yin remarked snidely. "According to this file, Hartmann is blackmailed. How interesting."

"Someone must have found out one of Hartmann's secrets and blackmailed him into cooperating. But what is this 'Paradise?'"

"I am not sure... but most probably, it was one of the cult's lodges," Tio answered Randy's question.

"Joachim must've somehow survived the raid and then exploited the blackmail and asked for refuge in Crossbell to Hartmann."

Elie gritted her teeth. "Absolutely unforgivable. He's Speaker of the Diet. How could he do something as foolish as getting caught up in all this...? Because of people like Hartmann, Grandfather has been toiling with his work all these years, and Father was forced to abandon us and Crossbell..."

"Elie..." Lloyd put his hand to reassure her.

They continued reading the book, and it touched a bit about Gnosis.

"Hmm? Interesting. The hospital isn't actually the place where Gnosis is being manufactured. Plus, the shipment list in there suggests that the mafia isn't the only organization that the drug has wormed its way into," Yin pointed out after reading the section about the blue pills.

"There must be another place Joachim used as a base of operations. And it might even be the place where the missing people are being held," Lloyd made some assumption.

"Most likely," Tio agreed. "But where could that be?"

Lloyd gave it some thought. A place in Crossbell that could be used by Joachim to do his cult activities. Producing and shipping Gnosis meant it had to be a place that was accessible to vehicles. His assumption about the missing people being held there meant the place should be large enough to hold the entire Revache. Looking around all the places they had visited in Crossbell, Lloyd found nothing that could fit.

Meanwhile, the others were making their theories.

"I just wanna know who else they could've shipped this crap to, 'sides the mafia. You don't think they got Heiyue, do ya?" Randy asked the assassin. Considering his connection to Heiyue, it was a valid thing to ask.

"Hmph. Cao is not naive enough to try his luck with this foolishness. I'd say possible candidates include some sort of pharmaceutical company, terrorist cells, Jaeger Corps, or even national intelligence agencies," Yin denied the allegation.

Randy sighed in relief, "Phew."

"The grotesque reality of Crossbell's situation is becoming more and more apparent," Elie sighed in resignation. Changing Crossbell for the better was a daunting task. She then looked at Lloyd, who was still in deep thought. "Lloyd?"

Lloyd didn't answer and instead opened his notes, looking for the compilation of Juna's explanation.

"Looking for some words of wisdom from Junie, eh?" Randy grinned.

Lloyd flipped several pages of his notes in quick succession before he sighed. "No use thinking about it now. For now, why don't we move to the white files?"

Everyone except Yin gasped when they saw what was inside the book. It was a collection of victims of the cult's data from before they were raided six years ago.

"Those sick bastards... How could they do something like this?" said Randy in anger.

Averting his eyes, Lloyd addressed the relevant party in the room. "I'm sorry, Tio. We have to see what's inside."

Tio looked apprehensive but relented. "Please, do not apologize. Just continue with your investigation, Lloyd."

Lloyd turned the pages and was greeted with several pictures of children around four to eight years old in white oversized t-shirts. Several pages later, they found a younger-looking Tio's photo, looking at the camera without any emotion. It was as if her eyes did not see hope anymore.

"Haha... I think my looks have improved over the years," Tio tried to lighten the atmosphere. But all it did was make everyone feel for her even more.

"Tio..."

"Of course you are..." Elie comforted her.

"Haha, you're so cute now. I can hardly recognize you in the image," Randy said to her delicately.

Tio wiped a small tear from the corner of her eyes. "I know you are simply trying to cheer me up, but...thank you. Lloyd. Please continue."

Nodding, Lloyd opened the next page. There, on the top right, was a purple-haired child who greatly resembled Renne. No, Lloyd was very sure it was Renne. It wasn't a surprise to see her, considering Estelle and Joshua had told them about Renne. But it was still heart-wrenching to see the image of someone they were acquainted with in the file alongside Tio.

"Renne..."

"I take it that girl is an acquaintance of yours?"

"Yes," Lloyd nodded.

He then flipped some pages, trying to find more relevant information. He stopped when his eyes found a photograph stuck in the file.

"Oi oi, that's..." Randy declared in disbelief.

"KeA?!" Elie gasped in surprise.

"Lloyd. Is this what you meant by KeA being important for Crossbell's future?" Tio questioned their leader.

"That's the girl from the Schwarze Auction, right?" Yin asked before observing the photo further. "This looks like a newer photo than the others. Could it have been taken recently?"

Lloyd shook his head.

"I don't know," he answered Tio. "KeA being important to Crossbell is what Juna told me."

Turning to the assassin, Lloyd answered him next. "Yes. This photo shows KeA close to the age she was now."

But there was something that stuck in Lloyd's mind.

Before he could ponder upon some of the strange things, he heard something coming from the window.

"Teehee. I'd say you're on the right track now."

It was Renne, sitting on the windowsill.

"Renne?"

"How long have you been sitting there?" Lloyd asked the purple-haired girl.

"I wasn't able to sense your presence... You aren't an ordinary girl, are you?" Yin was impressed and wary at the same time.

Right. Lloyd forgot that only the SSS knew of Renne's background as the Enforcer of Ouroboros.

"I'd say I'm about as ordinary as you," she replied the hooded assassin with a giggle. "Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Renne. Ouroboros Enforcer No. XV, the Angel of Slaughter. It's a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, everyone."

She finished with a curtsy. Thankfully, she stepped from the windowsill, Lloyd thought with a relieved sigh.

"Ouroboros... You work alongside the Direwolf, don't you?"

"Oh, you know of Walter?"

As the two exchanged pleasantries, Lloyd refocused himself to think about the oddities of the situation. Joachim was from the cult, and they had a photo of KeA that they suspected was taken recently. A cursory thought would lead everyone to conclude that the D∴G Cult was the one behind KeA. But Lloyd wasn't so sure.

First, Juna said that the original culprit would possibly try to retrieve KeA after her memories were recovered. If Joachim were the culprit who switched the Rosenberg Doll with KeA, it did not align with Juna's theory. It also didn't align with the SSS's suspicion about Joachim wanting to take KeA under his care. The time timeframe of KeA's release and their visit to Joachim was short. Just one week. If Joachim was really the one to release her, then it wouldn't make sense for him to retrieve KeA just one week later.

Second, in the photo, KeA was shown to be in a fetal position, hugging her knees inside a glass ball. There was nothing odd about the pose, but the fact that KeA was inside a glass object stood out to Lloyd. It was as if-

"-Lloyd?"

"Huh?" Lloyd was brought out of his thoughts by Tio, who shook his shoulder.

"The two infamous people in this room have finished flexing their wide network of fellow criminal acquaintances," Randy pointed out with his thumb at the two.

"Oh, right. What do you come here for? Judging by your eyes... the white file?"

Renne smiled. "Yes. And with this, I finally have every piece of information I wanted to know."

So Renne was hunting for the remnant of the cult, too... Lloyd lent the file to Renne.

"Lloyd?" Elie's eyes told him that she had a question for him, but he shook his head.

"Yes..." Renne had a serene smile on her face. "I've always had my suspicions, but I lacked decisive evidence... As of now, 'his' injuries have been fixed, and you helped me overcome what I couldn't myself. Finally...my reasons for coming to Crossbell State have been narrowed down to one."

Lloyd put her reaction inside his mind. Juna told him that sometimes people unconsciously gave clues to her, like Tio's reaction. Because of that, Lloyd also tried to notice other people more closely. ...And Renne's reaction was telling enough that she was hiding something. Though he could compile all sorts of information about various things, he still didn't know how Juna came to her conclusions. The best he could do was pass it on to Juna later.

Juna...

"Renne. We didn't get to the end of the files. Was Juna's location mentioned somewhere?" Lloyd asked the younger girl.

"Hm? What about Juna?" Renne asked before her eyes widened as she took a slip of paper from the files and read the content. "This is... Juna is kidnapped?"

Lloyd's face brightened. "So it mentioned where she is?!"

Renne shook her head with a frown. She gave Lloyd the paper.

Juna is with us. Chase us to the end of Zemuria. Even I don't know what my great comrade will do to Juna.

"That bastard!" Randy growled, punching the table.

"He tricked us," Tio conceded with a sigh.

"Ernest..." Elie sighed in disappointment at the man she once knew.

Lloyd gritted his teeth. Ernest had played them. And it was after Lloyd boldly said that the mystery wasn't important, too. He was outwitted this time, to his frustration.

"How and why is she kidnapped by the cult?" Renne asked them, curious. And was there a hint of sympathy there Lloyd saw?

"That's the problem; we still don't know. In the first place, while Juna is always helpful to us, only a select few know of her brilliance," Lloyd answered her with a serious tone. "Ernest said something about Juna being a thorn in their plan, but we still don't know what plan it is and how Juna is being a thorn."

Yin hummed, hearing that. "I've always wondered why you were so worried about her since we teamed up. So she's your protege?"

Lloyd sadly shook his head. "I wanted to, but she wanted to become a Bracer. Still, that doesn't mean we won't help each other."

"Hey, Lloyd. You kept a note on Juna's 'wisdom,' didn't you? Let's consult the notes," Randy offered.

Lloyd nodded and read the notes again, trying to find some relevant information that could be helpful to let them know where Juna was kept. He then recalled his shallow analysis of the possible base of operation from before. It should be a base big enough to hold the missing people plus the entire Revache, close enough to the city that it could be accessible by vehicle.

"Where could Juna be?" Elie asked in worry.

"From the message, we can assume that Juna is being held at their base of operation. The question now becomes where is the base?" Tio posited a theory.

"Damn, it could be anywhere else..." Randy clicked his tongue.

Lloyd opened his notes. His eyes scanned the content and found advice from Juna.

Use your detective power to find a clue. After that, I'll try to see if I can connect the dots.

No, that was just Juna telling him to rely on her. But the advice about using his deduction might work. He looked around, trying to find a clue.

"Hmm? Detective. You look like you found something?"

Lloyd sadly shook his head. "No, but I'm trying to emulate Juna. Coming up with an answer from nothing is her specialty. What she needed was data. So I'm looking around for clues about the cult."

"Good idea," Tio nodded. "Let's just gather some clues."

As everyone snooped around the room, Yin and Renne included, Lloyd laid his eyes on the files again. The D.G Cult symbol in front of the file opened so wide it looked like it was staring straight at him. Did it resemble something? There must be something he could glean!

In an instant, a memory crossed his mind.

"Hmm..." Elie thought for a second before she gasped, "Everyone, it's similar to the symbol we found in the temple!"

"You're right," Randy said after he squinted. "That temple was also the place we had to fight some fiend."

"Hoo? Such a place exists in Crossbell?" Yin asked with some interest.

"Yes. It's similar to the tower you had us go to," Lloyd nodded. "Anyway, let's check the file."

Lloyd widened his eyes. What if...

He quickly scanned his notes on Juna's advice again, trying to find something related to his theory.

"Lloyd?" Elie was the first one who noticed Lloyd's frantic movement as he quickly flipped his notes.

"You find something?" Randy asked him.

Without looking away from his notes, Lloyd spoke, "Tio. Please open the Crossbell map we have in our bag. I'm cross-checking my theory with Juna's advice."

"Understood."

As Tio spread the map out on Joachim's table, Yin stopped and observed Lloyd.

"Is Juna's words really worth that much that a professional detective like him sought her advice?"

Renne giggled from beside her. "Oh, you don't know? She correctly deduced that Grandpa Rosenberg works with Ouroboros just from observing his maid archaism. I wouldn't be surprised if, just by seeing you, she'd be able to guess your real identity."

Yin had never lost his composure the entire time they checked every room in the hospital. He hadn't even lost her breath to Ernest. But for the first time tonight, the assassin froze.

"Oi oi, Renne. You're overstating Juna's ability. It isn't something like that. She needed some backstory first before she could foretell what would happen in the future," Randy playfully denied Renne's claim. "So don't worry, Yin. You're safe."

Randy finished with a wink, though that didn't help calm Yin down any better.

"There!" Lloyd's declaration took everyone's attention. "Everyone, check the map."

Once everyone gathered around the map, Yin and Renne included, Lloyd began his explanation.

"So, let's start the explanation. As we were looking for clues, my eyes laid upon the emblem of the cult again. The red eyes in front of the files here," Lloyd brought up the file with the cult symbol for everyone to see. "There's nothing strange about it, and I also tried thinking about how it could resemble something or anything."

"And so, what did you find?" Elie prodded.

Lloyd shook his head.

"Nothing. The symbol means nothing to me. However, the existence of the symbol itself means something. Elie, where did you say we saw something similar to it again?"

"H-Huh?" Startled at being addressed, Elie took a few seconds before answering. "O-Oh, you mean the temple near the Mainz Mountain Path."

Lloyd nodded and pointed at the location of the temple on the map. "That's right. The Moon Temple. Now, Randy. What did you remember the most about the temple that you told us before?"

"So it's my turn, huh? Well, if I remember it right, it's about how we needed to fight some fiend," Randy answered with a grin.

"Fighting fiend. And the other thing notable about the temple is that the higher elements were active. Isn't that right, Tio?"

"Yes," Tio confirmed. "The higher elements were active when we explored the Moon Temple."

"Good, everyone still following me?" Lloyd asked, getting nods of confirmation from the others. "Now, everyone, remind me again, one more location that also has the higher elements active?"

"The Stargazer Tower," Yin quickly answered. After all, it was the place where he led the SSS to clear his name.

"Where does this lead to?" Renne asked Lloyd, feeling impatient.

Lloyd then put his notes on top of the map, showing everyone what was written on a certain page.

"Read this."

A name is important. In fact, a name is the single most significant information you can have against something. Take, for example, someone calling themselves with a letter, like S, V, C, or something. Chances are their real name starts with that letter. If you're thinking of something, connect it with their name. You'll bound to find something.

Everyone looked at Lloyd. "I see. So what should I connect this time?"

Lloyd took a deep breath and pointed at the temple.

"Moon Temple. Why is there a symbol of the cult there? I can't say it for certain, but there is a chance that it was formerly a base of operation for the cult in ancient times. This is the theory I was working on. And then we have the tower you brought us, Yin."

Lloyd moved his finger to point at the tower.

"The tower and the temple already have an established connection: the higher elements. But if we look at it from Juna's perspective, there is something else connecting them."

Lloyd waited for the other to come to the same conclusion as him.

"Their names," Renne and Tio said at the same time.

"Stargazer Tower, Moon Temple. The star and the moon," Lloyd nodded. "Remember that names are important. Juna said that if we're thinking of something, we need to connect it to their names. The star and the moon. The connection is obvious: both are celestial objects."

Renne smirked. "I see where you are going with this, Detective."

"Hold on, Rennie. I know you're like a genius hacker or something, but I can't follow!" Randy interrupted Renne. "Please continue, for now, Lloyd."

"The star and the moon. Both are celestial objects. However, there is one more important celestial object that we see every day..." Lloyd trailed off as he continued. His eyes moved toward a certain place on the map: A place further east of Armorica Village, deep on the Ancient Battlefield. "The sun."

Lloyd pointed his finger to the Sun Fort.

It was very unlike his usual deduction. There was no logic behind it, only faith in Juna's words. However, Lloyd had no time to verify everything. They were on a race with time, and he'd rather take this very Juna-ish conclusion than nothing at all.

"That's..." Elie trailed off, unsure of the conclusion Lloyd had reached.

"That is a very Juna analysis," Tio nodded to herself. "I'll give you 10/10 on the Juna scale."

"Heh, alright. And besides, we've never checked that Sun Fort place before, right?" Randy palmed his fist in excitement.

Yin just looked around in confusion. "I don't understand."

Randy turned to Yin and grinned, "Don't worry, you're not the only one. All of us still don't understand how Juna connected the dots to reach a conclusion. Heck, I bet Lloyd, who just made a deduction, is also confused about his own conclusion."

Nodding at Randy's words, Lloyd explained, "Yes. We all don't know how she did it, but so far, it has always come true. This time, it doesn't come from Juna, but I hope that it'll also come true because I followed Juna's method."

"I see..." Yin muttered. Lloyd had a feeling the assassin still didn't understand.

"Heeh, so this Juna's power, huh? Reminds me of someone," Renne giggled as she whispered the last part.

"Alright, SSS. Now that we've decided on a course of action let's go-" Lloyd's words were cut by a call from his Enigma. He quickly took it out and answered the call. "Crossbell Police Department, Bannings speaking."

It turned out that Deputy Commander Sonya Baelz from the Crossbell Guardian Force was almost at St. Ursula. Lloyd and the others relaxed a little because now the mess at the hospital would be taken care of by Sonya and her division.

Renne had been gone long before Sonya arrived. She jumped from the window and landed on a 'big-ass archaism,' as Randy put it, before flying away, though not before giving them one last clue about KeA being the 'key' which, unfortunately, Lloyd had known from Juna since way back in April. (Her pout when Lloyd admitted he already knew was very cute.)

Yin stayed for a while to oversee the rescue of the staff and patients before he parted ways with them now that he had enough information to report to Cao. (He also talked about having something he needed to protect. Lloyd, as per usual, noted it in his notes for the future if he or Juna needed it.)

After their goodbye with Yin, the four police officers found Sergeant Major Seeker and Deputy Commander Baelz. Then, they gave them a brief rundown of the situation. It was agreed that the Special Support Section would be given a ride back to Crossbell City in a CGF vehicle.


A/N: Lloyd casually dunking over Divergent Laws just by following Juna's words and connecting the correct dots to arrive at the correct conclusion. Amazing. That's Max DP Lloyd Bannings to you. He sees all, including those hidden behind the veil of Divergent Laws. I hope I've shown enough progress of Lloyd trying to understand Juna's perspective (of not being bound by Aidios) that him emulating her style of deduction is not an asspull. Lloyd still didn't understand, anyway. He was just blindly following it, and he still arrives at the correct conclusion.