Confessions of a Righteous Sinner
Last updated 2026-08-22
Confessions of a Righteous Sinner is the third part of the Trailblaze Mission chapter Unraveled for Daybreak. It automatically begins after completing Society of the Spectacle and Its Enemies.
Steps
- Investigate the Smiles Society members at the scene
- Listen to what the Smiles Society members are talking about
- Wait for Fulwish's presentation to start
- Try to find out more about Fulwish
- Find that special "friend"
- Follow Cinderborne's footsteps
- Defeat the Smiles Society members
- Investigate the unconscious Smiles Society members (0/3)
- Ask Cinderborne what's going on here
- Talk to Kuchiba about the investigation results
Gameplay Notes
- This mission uses the Fate's Ensemble system, played from the perspective of Ashveil. The game provides him for use as a Story character.
Dialogue
Investigate the Smiles Society members at the scene
Mission DescriptionInvestigation Record Archived:
The silent detective walks toward the riverside of Duomension City, where believers of the Smiles Society stand like ghosts long deceased, unswayed even as the cold wind sweeps past.
To wrest truth from stone lips is never this detective's forte, yet a petal of good fortune drifts down, landing squarely upon his shoulder.— "Narrator"
Tooltip for 18px|link=ⓘ Sequence 01Ashveil and Kuchiba were investigating the "New Herald of Death" and believed the culprit might be connected to the Research Society of Happy Smiles. The Society's sponsor, Fulwish, was then giving a speech in Dovebrook District, which was why Ashveil had come there.- Some time later, somewhere in Duomension City...
- Echo of the Past: My friend, I don't blame you, but I'm done being a breathing dead weight. So do me a favor, and pay me back for that drink with this bullet.
- Echo of the Past: Just do it, you coward! Let me die as a Galaxy Ranger before I turn into a monster of Abundance!
- Echo of the Past: Bana, shoot me. I, beg you.
- Ashveil: By Skybow above, may you have a pleasant dream.
- Kuchiba: "Not knowing who you are, not knowing why you exist here... that isn't life."
- Kuchiba: In ancient times, humanity's daily goal was to obtain two thousand calories of food. Humans back then knew they were just one member of the animal kingdom. They understood why they migrated, hunted, gathered...
- Kuchiba: But now, in an era where you can get food delivered to your door with just a tap of your finger, effortlessly achieving that two-thousand-calorie goal, humanity has lost its way like never before.
- Kuchiba: Tell me, will the Phantasmoon Games bring a new direction to this world, Ashveil?
- Ashveil: What's wrong with getting food with just the tap of your finger? Don't tell me you want to go back to the days when everyone was starving and at the mercy of the harvest?
- Ashveil: Two thousand calories are pointless but just for survival. It's the goals beyond two thousand calories that define humanity. And the Phantasmoon Games holds up a mirror to humanity, allowing them to see their truest selves.
- Ashveil: I'm just a detective. Ask me such a profound question again next time, and I'll charge extra.
- Kuchiba: My apologies. I just heard you joined the Phantasmoon Games and couldn't resist asking for your thoughts.
- Kuchiba: You've met Madam Pearl, huh?
- Ashveil: She dumped this hot potato of the "Herald of Death" on me.
- Kuchiba: On us. Judging by your expression, it seems less like a hot potato and more like a sweet fruit.
- Ashveil: Because... I have a lead now. I think the key lies in the word: "copycat."
- Ashveil: To prevent copycats, you kept the Herald of Death's modus operandi from fifteen years ago under wraps. Which means...
- Kuchiba: There's only a few people who could reproduce this killing method with such precision: the investigators from the Security Bureau and the Department of Aberration Defense at the time, and those directly involved in the Herald of Death case.
- Ashveil: Detective Kuchiba, I've heard that you've devoted considerable time to researching the crimes from the Phantasmoon Games...
- Kuchiba: So, I'm the prime suspect now, is that it?
- Ashveil: Just a bit of minor deduction. After all, murderers always love to return to the scene of the crime. Isn't it coincidental that you happen to be standing right before my eyes?
- Kuchiba: That's not deduction. It's a conjecture at best. As for investigating those two categories of suspects, we've been doing that for a long time already.
- Kuchiba: It's been fifteen years. The relevant people and the victims' families have all gone their separate ways. Tracking them down now won't be easy.
- Ashveil: Yeah. After losing their loved ones in such a cruel way, their hearts were shattered. Many couldn't bear to stay in Dovebrook District and chose to move away.
- Ashveil: I remember seeing that in the case files you sent me. They even formed a mutual aid society for the victims.
- Kuchiba: I wonder... after all these years, have they managed to heal the wounds in their hearts?
- Ashveil: Maybe they have. After all, they go by a new name now: the Research Society of Happy Smiles.
- Kuchiba: Oh, you mean that charity with the slogan, "Healing Smiles, Healing Arcadias."
- Ashveil: Before he died, Caustide mentioned that group to me. He said quite a few young people in the gang left without looking back just to join them. So I thought... maybe we should start by looking into their rivals.
- Kuchiba: The Research Society of Happy Smiles, huh? A charity that helps people escape their pain and find happiness, offering free counseling, medical care, all that good stuff.
- Kuchiba: Sounds like they've turned over a new leaf. How could you call them rivals to the underworld?
- Ashveil: I dug a little deeper into them... and found something interesting.
- Kuchiba: You mean your monkey dug up something interesting, right?
- Ashveil: Okay, okay... Mister N dug up something interesting. Have you heard the name of the sponsor behind the Research Society? Her name's Fulwish.
- Kuchiba: That name rings a bell. Wait, isn't she the boss of Fulwish TV? I think she was one of the survivors of Graphia Academy, too.
- Kuchiba: This is getting a little too coincidental. Just like every case you've accidentally cracked before... Mr. Ashveil, should I compliment your keen instincts or your incredible luck?
- Ashveil: Ahem, luck's a part of a detective's toolkit too.
- Ashveil: Anyway, whether Fulwish is guilty or not, we won't know until we look into her. That's why I asked you here.
- (Quick read)
Research Society of Happy Smiles Mutual Aid Seminar Notice Dovebrook District New Life Project: Public Recruitment and Mental Healing Seminar at the Research Society of Happy Smiles Confused about the future? Don't know where to turn? Is the burden of life suffocating you? You crash onto your bed after another grueling day, drifting aimlessly through the tide of memes OrchTok feeds you. But when the screen fades to black, the reflection staring back reveals the truth... You aren't smiling. You can't quite recall when it began, but you seem to have lost your reason to smile. You try to force the corners of your mouth up when facing the mirror, but all you feel is a sense of alienation. When was the last time.. you really smiled? Worry not no more! The Research Society of Happy Smiles is here for you! Amidst the endless violence and spates of grisly crimes plaguing Dovebrook District... The Research Society of Happy Smiles is hosting a week-long mental wellness seminar. We are here to ease your burdens, answer your prayers, and help us all weather this storm together! Once the star of the smash hit Please Be Happy and the people's beloved "daughter," now the president of the Research Society of Happy Smiles and director of Fulwish TV... Fulwish will also be making a special appearance soon! Together, we'll banish the gloom and rediscover the joy we've been missing! No appointment needed! Just walk right in! The Research Society of Happy Smiles is always right by your side.
- Kuchiba: "Dovebrook District New Life Project: Public Recruitment and Mental Healing Seminar at the Research Society of Happy Smiles"... and she's the speaker?
- Kuchiba: Holding a seminar at a place meant to bury past trauma, the very site of two bloody incidents... Ms. Fulwish's audacity is certainly impossible to ignore.
- Ashveil: So what are we waiting for? It's time to drag Dovebrook District's old skeletons out into the light.
- Foolish Passerby: Aha, are you talking? Yeah, I'm almost there.
- Passerby Talking to Themselves: I want more happiness...
- Sequence 02Kuchiba was curious about Fulwish's wish, while Ashveil believed it was to stop the tragedy from fifteen years ago from ever happening. Kuchiba pressed Ashveil about his goal in the Phantasmoon Games, but Ashveil did not answer.
- (Go to mission location)
- Ashveil: This place is buzzing. Are they all here waiting for Fulwish to grant their wishes?
- Kuchiba: A rich person like Fulwish can make most people's wildest dreams come true with the snap of her fingers. I'm less curious about who she'll help than what she wants for herself.
- Ashveil: If money really could accomplish everything, the IPC wouldn't be eyeing this world. My bet? I'm sure that Fulwish wishes the tragedy fifteen years ago never happened.
- Ashveil: Erasing history? Can The Laughter really pull it off?
- Kuchiba: In past victory records, there have been countless and often bizarre instances where the victor used the Elation's authority to change reality...
- Kuchiba: You have to understand: The Phantasmoon Games isn't just some wish-granting lamp. What makes it irresistible is that it turns the one who wishes into the genie.
- Ashveil: That's quite alluring. Have you heard about the Noblesse Worm Aha made godlike? It became the happiest creature in existence, happy enough to burst apart, leaving no intact body behind.
- Kuchiba: Your knowledge of these unofficial records is enough to rival ours. Since you see things so clearly, Mr. Ashveil, why sign up for the games?
- Ashveil: Miss Kuchiba, is that a rhetorical question, or are you fishing for a confession?
- Kuchiba: Fishing? Don't be afraid. Now that you're a Supplicant, public officials like me no longer have any authority over you.
- Kuchiba: I'm guessing what you want goes beyond a straightforward act of revenge, beyond a vigilante execution carried out in public.
- Kuchiba: If you were only out to avenge friends, with or without the Phantasmoon Games, someone like you would toss laws and decorum aside and do what needs to be done.
- Kuchiba: So tell me, Mr. Ashveil. What do you actually hope to get from the games?
- Ashveil: Consider it a mystery. If I make it to the end, you'll know the answer before Aha does.
- Kuchiba: Well then, I'd be honored. Just don't let your wish ruin our lives here.
- Ashveil: Daily life here fits like a tailored prison uniform. Wear it too long, and you forget what your bones should feel like. It's time to break free. Look at these prisoners of routine before us...
- Ashveil: Fulwish hasn't shown up yet. Let's talk with the members of the Research Society. Maybe we can coax something useful out of them.
Listen to what the Smiles Society members are talking about
- Sequence 03Ashveil investigated members of the Smiles Society and discovered that they viewed everything as "happiness," even going so far as to consider the Dovebrook murder case a good thing for ridding the city of its scum.
- (Try to communicate)
- Happy Office Worker: I got called into another "chat" with the boss today. Never thought he'd care about me this much.
- Happy Office Worker: Everyone is smiling at me. The office feels downright cheerful.
- Happy Office Worker: These days, I go home, change my baby boy's diaper, help my daughter with her homework, prepare tomorrow's lunch, and clean up the house... It's hard to describe how satisfying that feels.
- Happy Office Worker: When Ema left me, she must've left the kids to me for my own happiness.
- Happy Office Worker: When I look back, I realize I was someone who had it good and I never understood how lucky I was.
- Happy Patient: Right, right? All thanks to Ms. Fulwish.
- Happy Patient: Yesterday, during my tumor removal, the anesthesia wore off halfway through. I squinted and watched the doctors pull all kinds of things out of my stomach. There was this lump, still twitching when they cut it out!
- Happy Patient: I used to be too weak to even get out of bed, but after the Society's treatment, I'm almost ready to walk out of the hospital.
- Happy Office Worker: Isn't that amazing? I kinda wanna see someone slice me open too. It should be fun.
- Ashveil: Hey, did you two hear about the Synwish Syndicate?
- Happy Office Worker: You've come to the right person. My neighbor got a visit from their debt collectors. You should've heard the racket!
- Happy Office Worker: I saw the news too. Those parasites who ruined the peace, who kept people from being happy. Gone! Wiped clean! Praise Aha!
- Happy Office Worker: Wait, they extorted you, too?
- Ashveil: Something like that. Still owed their Underboss tens of thousands of credits.
- Happy Office Worker: Ha ha, so your debt's wiped clean. Must feel pretty great, huh?
- Sequence 04Members of the Smiles Society claimed that Aha was speaking to them. If Ashveil and Kuchiba could not hear it, it was because they were not happy enough yet.
- (Try to communicate)
- Happy Youth: We meet again! Hey, Lady Mechatron, how've you been?
- Happy Mechatron: Good! Since I joined the Research Society, I've made so many new friends.
- Happy Mechatron: In the past, I struggled with mobility, I always had to work three or four times harder than the other mechatrons just to keep up.
- Happy Mechatron: A lot of imagenae think factory-made types like me don't count as their own, and humans look at us and see soulless machines.
- Happy Mechatron: If every sentient being has a home, then even the scrapyard is closed to me. I'm not even considered recyclable waste.
- Happy Mechatron: But here in the Society, no one cares what I am or what I can do. They just see me as a normal person.
- Happy Youth: Congrats. You've found your home.
- Happy Mechatron: Mm, Aha said the same. THEY and everyone here are my family.
- Kuchiba: Aha talks to you?
- Happy Youth: Of course! You mean you can't hear THEM? Guess you're not happy enough yet.
- Happy Mechatron: Don't worry. Once you join the Society, you will. No pain, no tears, just pure joy. The Society makes everyone happy.
Wait for Fulwish's presentation to start
- Step DescriptionInvestigation Record Archived:
The detective's steely gaze pierces through Fulwish's very marrow, yet sees only a skeleton fifteen years gone, bearing a soul of madness.
The air trembles with the crowd's murmurs, as if even the sky itself might ignite.— "Narrator"
- Sequence 05Fulwish delivered a speech to the crowd, rallying them to oppose the IPC's governance of Planarcadia and join the Smiles Society in pursuit of true elation and happiness to rebuild Planarcadia into a place where smiles never fade.
- (Go to mission location)
- Ashveil: Looks like it's about time. If the star of the show doesn't show up soon, the crowd's gonna burst with anticipation.
- Shout From Nearby: Everyone, please make some room, for Ms. Fulwish.
- Fulwish: By the Master of Elation, may THEY bless all souls and grant them smiles. Are you all happy today?
- Happy Crowd: Very happy!
- Fulwish: Thank you for your smiles. They're like lamps in the dark, so precious.
- Fulwish: But before we celebrate the Elation, let me share a memory drenched in tears. It once dragged me into the abyss, yet it also taught me what the Elation really means.
- Fulwish: As you all know, fifteen years ago, during the Phantasmoon Games, the shadow cast by the Herald of Death swallowed this place whole.
- Fulwish: That day, I lost my parents, my classmates, and the others... The morning greetings, the little daily chatter... All went silent under that crimson dusk.
- Fulwish: After that, for a very, very long time...
- Fulwish: ...All that remained of my world: a door shut tight, a room steeped in silence, and a wound in my heart that would never heal.
- Fulwish: Just hearing the words "Herald of Death" made me shake uncontrollably. I even...
- Fulwish: ...I even once thought the only escape was to follow the dead and leave with them.
- Fulwish: Back then, I was just an empty shell, breathing, beating, but lifeless inside. And just as my soul was about to fade away, an old lady from the mutual aid society knocked on my door.
- Fulwish: She didn't offer empty words of comfort. She just looked me in the eyes and asked—
- Fulwish: "Child, would you... try stepping outside this door? Out there are many people, broken by pain just like you. But together, we can start picking up the pieces... One by one."
- Fulwish: She smiled at me. A warm, gentle smile. And in that smile, I felt the Master of Elation grant me a reason to live.
- Fulwish: At the mutual aid society, I saw countless souls scarred by fate. Some bore wounds beyond healing, and some had lost their loved ones. Each of us bore a different wound, but every wound cut deep.
- Fulwish: And yet, what truly moved me wasn't the pain. It was how, beneath those scars, they still reached out to one another, offering a smile to a child who'd stopped crying, lending a guiding hand to someone lost.
- Fulwish: They taught me something precious: Pain can destroy a person, but the wish to bring Elation to others can spark the fire of rebirth. That was when Aha's voice echoed again in the silence of my heart.
- Fulwish: The smiles passed from one another through mutual aid is Aha's most precious blessing. It does not belong only in the small room of a support group, it yearns to illuminate hearts lost in darkness.
- Fulwish: Each time we share a true smile, it's as if we hear Aha's voice. And when that voice rings out, all suffering fades, all pain is healed, and everyone knows what true happiness feels like.
- Fulwish: That's why the Research Society of Happy Smiles was founded! I will share this divine smile with all of you!
- Cheering Audience: (We support you, Ms. Fulwish! Thank you, Ms. Fulwish! Please bring us your smile!)
- Fulwish: Everyone, I have questions for you. When was the last time you truly smiled? How long has it been since you felt happy from the bottom of your heart?
- Fulwish: Minado, do you ever feel like your days are looping endlessly, like an old silent film, repeating until it suffocates you? And when you realize that loop might never end, does despair flood in like the tide?
- Numb Audience: ...You're right.
- Fulwish: Miss Belle Woods, you left school full of dreams, only to have your résumé rejected again and again. You told your parents you were "busy in Seafeld City," hiding your heart-breaking loneliness behind that lie.
- Distressed Audience: ...Please help me!
- Fulwish: And Tyjah... Did the cold exclusion at school, and the indifference of the adults who should have cared, build a wall around your heart, one that made you afraid to open yourself up to the world again?
- Cowardly Audience: Y—Yes...
- Fulwish: When we were born, no one had to teach us how to smile. But who would've thought that one day, even smiling would become so hard?
- Fulwish: Once, our world was blessed by Aha's grace, a gentle World in Canvas, painted in Elation. For centuries, humans and imagenaes lived freely together in that eternal haven—
- Fulwish: Until the Interastral Peace Corporation violently tore us away from that sanctuary! They brought us their so-called interastral civilization, imposed their so-called standards of happiness... and told us that life's ultimate joy lies in self-focus, self-indulgence, and self-satisfaction!
- Fulwish: They flooded us with dazzling material desires, blinding our hearts. They fed arrogance and prejudice into our minds through the network, making us chase pleasure for ourselves, and forget that true Elation is found when we smile together.
- Fulwish: Wishpower has turned into fuel. Credits jingle where heartfelt laughter used to ring. We drown in anxiety, competition, and an endless sense of not being enough. And in all that noise, we can no longer hear Aha's gentle voice!
- Fulwish: Elation, the truest light of life itself, is being eaten away, and replaced by the external!
- Unhappy Audience: You said it! I work myself to death for scraps, and my boss doesn't even notice!
- Unhappy Audience: And those useless loudmouths online. They do nothing with their lives, yet constantly judge everyone else!
- Unhappy Audience: The IPC is nothing but a nest of vampires! They're feeding off of us!
- Unhappy Crowd: Ms. Fulwish! Please tell us how to be happy!
- Fulwish: Look around you! This land was once blessed by the Master of Elation, and yet now, it's overflowing with misery. Everyone's chasing their own happiness, but in doing so, they wound others without even noticing.
- Fulwish: Do you remember the moment I found happiness again? It was when someone, someone who was suffering just as I was, smiled at me.
- Fulwish: Even through their pain, they gave me that smile. A smile filled with blessings. That smile saved my life.
- Fulwish: So listen well. Only by opening your heart and sharing your smile with another can you truly grasp what happiness means. It isn't just giving a smile, it's embracing the power that Aha bestowed upon us to smile.
- Fulwish: Join the Research Society of Happy Smiles! I'll help you rediscover the smile buried within yourself, and Aha will grant your life a transformation!
- Fulwish: Our mission doesn't end with finding our own smiles. We must bring them to the world, and spread true happiness across all existence.
- Fulwish: While others pray to the Aeons for their own desires, we, the true followers of Aha, carry a higher calling: to fulfill THEIR wish!
- Ashveil: ...To fulfill Aha's wish?
- Fulwish: Yes, to still every cry of sorrow. To wipe away every bitter tear. We will build, no... rebuild a world where smiles never fade, and Elation never dies!
- Happy Crowd: Eternal happiness!
- Happy Crowd: Eternal laughter!
- Happy Crowd: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...
Try to find out more about Fulwish
- Kuchiba: The speech is over. What's your take, Detective?
- Ashveil: She's so far gone it's hard to make sense of it.
- Kuchiba: Then let's not overthink it. Let's talk to her directly.
- Sequence 06Ashveil and Kuchiba interrogated Fulwish about the Dovebrook murder case. Fulwish seemed well-prepared and voluntarily revealed the existence of the "New Herald of Death" to the crowd, triggering panic among those present.
- (Approach Fulwish)
- Kuchiba: Ms. Fulwish, I'm Kuchiba from the Department of Aberration Defense. I'd like to have a chat with you.
- Fulwish: I see. You're here about the Synwish Syndicate case, aren't you?
- Ashveil: So you were expecting us.
- Fulwish: I heard the news. The entire Synwish Syndicate... massacred in Dovebrook District. Such a cursed place...
- Fulwish: They may not have been saints, but I still pray for them. May their souls rest in peace.
- Ashveil: Ah, how merciful of you.
- Ashveil: Though, rumor has it the Research Society of Happy Smiles had a few run-ins with them? Regarding recruitments, donations, turf... Sounds like plenty of reasons for conflict, don't you think?
- Fulwish: Are you suggesting... we had the Synwish Syndicate killed? For conflicted interests?
- Ashveil: Wait, that's not what I said.
- Fulwish: You know nothing about our finances. Every expense is covered by a charitable foundation established with the compensation from fifteen years ago, we don't need a single cent from our members.
- Fulwish: When I heard about this tragedy, I personally allocated relief money for the victims' families, to keep order and peace in Dovebrook.
- Fulwish: Tell me, Miss Kuchiba... Someone copied the Herald of Death and slaughtered dozens. What will your Department of Aberration Defense do this time?
- Kuchiba: We never released that detail. How do you know someone's imitating the Herald of Death?
- Fulwish: Isn't that what you've been waiting for? For the killer to slip up, so you can swoop in and tie everything up nicely?
- Fulwish: Fifteen years have passed. You don't seriously believe we're still living in an age where information can be sealed off at will, do you? From the very day the murders occurred, the news has long since spread online.
- Fulwish: The Synwish Syndicate paid a fortune for some ancient mask, and the next thing you know, they're all dead. The scene painted red with traces of the Bloody Bloom.
- Kuchiba: Please pay no attention to baseless rumors...
- Fulwish: Rumors? And yet you're here. That alone proves one thing: The rumors are true... and the New Herald of Death really does exist.
- Fulwish: Otherwise, why do you suspect me? "Only someone who knows the original case could recreate it so perfectly," right?
- Fulwish: Everyone! You heard our conversation, didn't you?
- Fulwish: The Herald of Death has returned! He's here in Dovebrook! He's slain the entire Synwish Syndicate! He's back to relive the carnage of the Phantasmoon Games!
- Panicked Newbie: The Herald of Death? Didn't the officials declare him executed? How has he appeared again?
- Frightened Newbie: He's immortal!? A demon!?
- Flustered Newbie: He's back for revenge! He'll take revenge on everyone! We're doomed!
- Happy Mechatron: Aren't gang members the very people who steal smiles from others? And isn't the best way to make bad people "happy" to erase them from the world? Wouldn't that be doing something good?
- Happy Youth: Yeah, Sister Mechatron is right! Those thugs deserved it!
- Happy Office Worker: Back from the dead? Lies! The IPC kept him alive, to wield him as their weapon!
- Angry Passerby: You useless officials! Fifteen years ago, you failed and let him get away, and that's why he's back again now!
- Fulwish: Everyone, there's no need to panic!
- Tooltip for 18px|link=ⓘ Sequence 07Fulwish reassured the crowd, declaring that the Smiles Society would protect this world and the happy would never die. The crowd erupted into a frenzy, chanting "Happiness! Happiness!"
- Fulwish: Remember who you are! You are those who live beneath Aha's brilliance, who have claimed happiness and cast off the shackles of suffering!
- Fulwish: Once, the Herald of Death fed on our fear and tears. That was the source of his power!
- Fulwish: Look at the smiles on the faces of those around you! There is no fear left in our hearts, no tears left in our eyes! All that remains is resolve, happiness, and faith in the Elation!
- Fulwish: The Research Society of Happy Smiles will protect this world!
- Fulwish: Etch this into your hearts: The happy do not die. For even death cannot touch a heart filled with happiness!
- Ashveil: What's going on? There's something very wrong about this woman.
- Panicked Newbie: Yes! Yes! As long as we're happy enough, there's nothing to fear! We won't die!
- Happy Patient: Happiness! Happiness is our weapon! Happiness will destroy the Herald of Death!
- Happy Mechatron: Happiness will save this world! Operation: Spread Happiness!
- Joyful Youth: Let happiness infect everyone, and spread to every corner of the sky! Make the Phantasmoon smile! Make Lord Aha laugh until THEY cry for us!
- Sequence 08Fulwish said she could not provide Ashveil and Kuchiba with any useful information, but she would work with the Smiles Society to do everything she could to protect Planarcadia's future and the smiles of its citizens. Kuchiba thanked Fulwish for cooperating with the investigation.
- Happy Crowd: Infect the Phantasmoon with happiness! Happiness! Happiness!
- Kuchiba: Silence!
- Fulwish: My apologies, officers. I can't provide anything useful for now, but rest assured. I'll cooperate with any investigation from the Department of Aberration Defense or the Security Bureau. And of course, I'll fulfill my civic duty...
- Fulwish: Whether it's the newly emerged Herald of Death, or the various upheavals surrounding the Phantasmoon Games, the Research Society of Happy Smiles will handle them appropriately. What we protect is the future, and the smiles of Planarcadia.
- Fulwish: Or perhaps... after all this, you too have felt that yearning within your hearts? Would you like to join us, to embrace eternal happiness?
- Ashveil: I'll pass. But I've got a feeling... we'll meet again.
- Kuchiba: Ms. Fulwish, thank you for your cooperation. Hopefully, next time we meet, it won't be like this.
- Fulwish: May the Master of Elation watch over all, and bless you with THEIR everlasting smile.
- Tooltip for 18px|link=ⓘ Sequence 09Ashveil sensed something was wrong with Fulwish and suggested working with Kuchiba to learn more about the Smiles Society from Cinderborne.
- Ashveil and Kuchiba left the gathering...
- Distorted Echo: Let go of your obsession. Let go of the shadow in your arms. Let go of that false sense of responsibility.
- Distorted Echo: You're the one who should be dead, aren't you?
- Distorted Echo: Come, join your brothers. Let the gears grind to a halt, let the hands fall still, and end that life of yours that was never meant to be.
- Ashveil: Sorry. That day will come, but for now, there are more important things I must do.
- Kuchiba: What did you say...?
- Ashveil: Nothing, never mind. Looks like Fulwish is a much slyer fish than expected.
- Ashveil: The bait was there, but she ignored it, and instead she stirred up a whirlpool.
- Kuchiba: Quite the opposite, actually. Not only did she take our bait, but she also flat out told us she couldn't care less about the hook.
- Ashveil: Oh? Was there something I missed?
- Kuchiba: The Bloody Bloom mark from the Synwish Syndicate massacre. How did she know that detail, when we specifically obfuscated it with "special mark" even in our internal reports?
- Kuchiba: She broadcasted this information word for word, and even used it to stir up public sentiment, scattering it across the place like tossing blood-soaked feed into a fishpond. Now stopping the rumors from spreading will be even harder.
- Ashveil: Well, maybe she has her connections, or maybe she made a lucky guess as one of the victims. Regardless, she's right about one thing: Trying to stop something from spreading today sure is a lot more difficult than fifteen years ago.
- Kuchiba: So, Mr. Ashveil, did your "lucky" radar start blaring when it came to Fulwish
- Ashveil: There's something very wrong about that woman.
- Ashveil: You saw the way she played the crowd? I guarantee you that it had nothing to do with her public speaking skills. She could very well be a Supplicant in disguise.
- Ashveil: Still, this whole run has been smooth to an unbelievable degree. We got our bearings in no time at all, so let's keep our prized fish in the pond for now. Fulwish is not going anywhere.
- Kuchiba: You're right. It's too risky to make a direct move against a well-respected philanthropist and media tycoon. Maybe we should start with the people around her.
- Ashveil: There were people from all walks of life at the gathering just now. Workers, suits, students, the elderly, and even mechatrons...
- Ashveil: Judging by their crazed enthusiasm, I highly doubt they'd be willing to testify against Fulwish.
- Ashveil: But... I have my ways.
- Kuchiba: Mr. Ashveil, coercive interrogation is strictly against the rules. Please refrain from doing it somewhere I can—
- Ashveil: Don't get the wrong idea. I meant an old friend that I spotted at the gathering. By the way, ever watch Daybreak Squadron? It's on Sunday nights at eight.
- Kuchiba: I thought you weren't a TV person?
- Ashveil: Not ME! Mister N! He watches it!
- Kuchiba: ...Your monkey's quite the child at heart.
- Ashveil: Ugh, anyway. Come on, let's go get an "autograph" from our heroic film star.
Find that special "friend"
- Step DescriptionInvestigation Record Archived:
The suspect's actions leave the detective flat-footed for a moment. But the old wolf's nose proves keener than his silver tongue, and soon he spots an old acquaintance: a young man. And would you believe it? That good-for-nothing old detective forgets to get me an autograph!— "Narrator"
- (If you try to leave the area)
- Kuchiba: Time to get to work, detective.
- Ashveil: Hmph...
- (Approach Cinderborne)
- Kuchiba: Is that him?
- Ashveil: Shh, don't interrupt.
Follow Cinderborne's footsteps
- (Follow into the alley)
- Kuchiba: What, you lost him?
- Ashveil: Not even close.
- Sequence 10Cinderborne claimed that the Smiles Society helped him move past the tragedy from fifteen years ago, and he would not reveal anything about it. When more members of the Smiles Society appeared, Ashveil decided to teach them a lesson.
- (Go to mission location)
- Cinderborne: Why are you two... following me?
- Ashveil: Oh~ We're just two grown-up fans of the Daybreak Squadron trying to get an autograph from big brother Magnus.
- Cinderborne: Mister... Ashveil! Don't prank me like that. You really scared me.
- Ashveil: Really? Cinderborne... the peacekeeper of our city, vanquisher of evil fiends, is scared of his own fans?
- Ashveil: Long time no see, Magnus.
- Cinderborne: You're not here for autographs, are you? I saw you two at the gathering. I don't understand. Why are you investigating Miss Fulwish?
- Cinderborne: She's been nothing but a kind, lawful person who spreads happiness to others.
- Ashveil: You heard about what happened with Synwish Syndicate, I assume?
- Cinderborne: Then... was Miss Fulwish telling the truth?
- Ashveil: The perpetrator left the same signature as the Herald of Death did fifteen years ago.
- Cinderborne: So... did that monster really kill Mr. Polwave and Caustide!?
- Cinderborne: Fifteen years and he's back... This demon... How many more lives must he take?
- Kuchiba: Mr. Magnus, you're one of the survivors of the incident, right?
- Cinderborne: ...Yes. That monster took my parents that day.
- Cinderborne: But... what's the Synwish Syndicate case got to do with Miss Fulwish?
- Ashveil: Because that Herald of Death was executed fifteen years ago. That's for certain. The Synwish Syndicate case, on the other hand, has copycat written all over it — and Fulwish is a suspect.
- Cinderborne: So just because we're survivors, we automatically become suspects? What, are you going to interrogate me too?
- Ashveil: If that's what you want, Miss Kuchiba can arrange for it later. For now, I just want to ask you a few questions about the Smiles Society.
- Cinderborne: It doesn't matter if you have a few or a hundred questions. I have nothing to say to you.
- Cinderborne: Fifteen years ago, I was left all alone in this world... The so-called relatives closed in like a pack of hyenas, their eyes fixed solely on the compensation smeared with my parents' blood.
- Cinderborne: Abuse, deception, expulsion... to them, I was nothing more than a walking money bag, an eyesore, a "jinx."
- Cinderborne: It was the Society that gave me the chance to live the life I have now.
- Ashveil: What about the Synwish Syndicate, then? If I recall correctly, they took care of you once. Old Polwave helped you deal with those relatives.
- Cinderborne: Listen, Mr. Ashveil. The debt I owe the Synwish Syndicate will be paid. I will avenge them as a member of the Smiles Society as well as the Daybreak Squadron. I'll rip the Herald of Death out from the shadows in their name and see justice served. That is my duty!
- Ashveil: You're in over your head.
- Ashveil: The new Herald of Death is very dangerous. I doubt a handful of actors like you can achieve anything substantial.
- Cinderborne: You think we're just a couple of kids playing superheroes with masks, right? Well, you're wrong. My squad mates and I aren't the easy pushovers we used to be, Mr. Ashveil.
- Cinderborne: I haven't had my transformation surgery yet, but I can already power a mechatron warrior in battle! WE are real heroes here!
- Kuchiba: Boys, let's stay on topic, shall we? I just wanted to have a few words about the Society...
- Cinderborne: I have nothing to say to you either, Miss Kuchiba. Neither of you are getting a word out of me on this.
- ???: Well done, Magnus... Your loyalty to the Smiles Society warms our hearts.
- Cinderborne: You're... following me?
- Smiles Society Member: Not by choice. These IPC dogs made it clear that they intend to frame Miss Fulwish. We're not going to just let this slide.
- Kuchiba: Would you look at that, the hunters become the hunted.
- Ashveil: What does it matter? If someone's looking for a beating, we'll gladly give it to them.
- Kuchiba: You have five minutes for questioning, so make it count, Mr. Ashveil. They're all yours.
- Ashveil: Never expected my first "miracle" as a Supplicant to be teaching thugs... I mean, lawful citizens, a lesson on the streets.
- Ashveil: Let's get this over with, then! And if you want to join them too, Magnus, be my guest.
Defeat the Smiles Society members
- (Enter battle)
-
- Wave 1
- Ashveil: Fair warning: I'm out of practice. If you get hurt, that's your problem.
- Smiles Society Member: Hehe, your fists don't hurt at all.
- Cinderborne: Mr. Ashveil, stop!
- Wave 2
- Cinderborne: I'm sorry, Mr. Ashveil. I have to stop you.
- Smiles Society Member: Hooray, Cinderborne! The bringer of justice!
- Cinderborne: Shut up!
- (Battle ends)
- Sequence 11The defeated Smiles Society members seemed to feel no pain whatsoever. Ashveil suspected this was related to the "conversion surgery" Cinderborne mentioned, but Cinderborne refused to respond to the matter.
- Smiles Society Member: It hurts... a little. But I'm... happy...
- Ashveil: There's something seriously wrong with you all.
- Cinderborne: E—Enough! You... Are you really going to kill them!?
- Ashveil: What's the matter, defender of the city? Are you scared?
- Ashveil: This is the real Phantasmoon Games, Magnus! This is the bloody truth under the mask of the Elation's game.
- Ashveil: Fifteen years ago, at dusk in this city, the Herald of Death tore people apart one by one! Did he ever stop to ask even once, "Is it enough!?"
- Ashveil: I know you want to make something out of yourself like the Trailblazer of the Astral Express, and I know you want to catch the new Herald of Death and crush him like a bug, using the same methods he used against the Synwish Syndicate.
- Ashveil: But here's the deal: It's not your duty! And the Aeonic Game sure isn't a TV show where you get to play the hero and save the day.
- Ashveil: You mentioned a "conversion surgery" earlier... Are you saying that all Society members underwent some kind of unknown modification?
- Ashveil: That figures. I was wondering why these people looked like they felt no pain at all. Humming along merrily even as they bled... Does this have anything to do with the "surgery"?
- Cinderborne: ...
- Ashveil: Nothing to say? Fine by me. Three minutes left, that's long enough for me to question them.
Investigate the unconscious Smiles Society members (0/3)
- Step DescriptionInvestigation Record Archived:
The goons are dispatched in the blink of an eye, like rats in a gutter who have mistakenly drunk the dregs from World's End, now sleeping tight in laughter. In the name of happiness, a corner of this arcadia is about to be dragged into the abyss.— "Narrator"
- Ashveil: Time to hurry and get some answers from these people while they're still on the ground.
- (Talk to Kuchiba, optional)
- Kuchiba: You have five minutes for questioning, so make it count, Mr. Ashveil. They're all yours.
- (Talk to Smiles Society Member)
- Ashveil: Hey lackey, wake up!
- Collapsed Society Follower: Pain... should not exist.
- (Floating text)
- Pain should not exist.
- (Talk to Smiles Society Member)
- Collapsed Society Follower: Smile... please, smile!
- (Floating text)
- Please smile!
- (Talk to Smiles Society Member)
- Collapsed Society Follower: The laughter... don't let it stop.
Ask Cinderborne what's going on here
- (Floating text)
- Don't let the laughter stop.
- Pain should not exist.
- (Repeated many times)
- Smile
- Happiness
- Pain should not exist.
- Everlasting, blissful, HAPPINESS!
- Everlasting, blissful, HAPPINESS!
- No one should have to suffer.
- Everyone will be happy!
- Sequence 12Cinderborne confessed that anyone who officially joined the Smiles Society had to undergo "Happiness Surgery," but Cinderborne was not ready for it. Ashveil told Cinderborne to remember those feelings of hesitation and terror, then convinced him to leave the scene.
- (Try to communicate)
- Collapsed Society Follower: (Crowd cheering)
- Ashveil: What the heck... happened to these people?
- Cinderborne: This is... the small procedure that official members receive. They call it the "Happiness Surgery."
- Cinderborne: With a prick of the needle no more than a mosquito's bite, the doctor puts this small thing inside your eyelids. Even smaller than a Synesthesia Beacon, and more convenient...
- Cinderborne: People who have had the surgery say that it soothes all your pain and suffering. Past or present.
- Cinderborne: Even your body becomes stronger, and your mind... clearer, and more focused. A state where you can truly receive "happiness."
- Ashveil: So... you haven't had this "Happiness Surgery" yet, right?
- Cinderborne: I... I'm not ready yet! I've been thinking it over.
- Cinderborne: But the rest of the Squadron had it, and they've all become... happier.
- Cinderborne: They say it's the necessary step to becoming a true Superhero that safeguards everyone else's happiness. If I don't do it, then... do I still deserve the name "Cinderborne"?
- Cinderborne: Mr. Ashveil... What should I do...?
- Ashveil: The surgery won't make you stronger, nor will it help you get your revenge. These guys on the floor are proof enough.
- Ashveil: Remember the hesitation and fear you feel in this moment, Magnus. If people simply erase their perception of fear and pain instead of overcoming them, then those people will never find true strength.
- Ashveil: Go now. I have some cleaning up to do.
Talk to Kuchiba about the investigation results
- Step DescriptionCase Record Archived:
On the criminal's trail, the detective and security officer catch a whiff of conspiracy. It is faint, fleeting, yet it draws them in one unmistakable direction.
Oh, and by the way, that crate of bananas from Ms. Kuchiba last time were amazing! Thanks!— "Narrator"
- Sequence 13Ashveil concluded that the Smiles Society had somehow eliminated its members' ability to feel pain and theorized that Star Rail FEST would be the perfect venue for the "New Herald of Death" to incite panic for a second time.
- (Approach Kuchiba)
- Kuchiba: So, did you pry the answers you were looking for out of them?
- Ashveil: These people have all been "processed" by the Smiles Society.
- Ashveil: Heck, who knows what method they used. It completely neutralized their ability to feel suffering and despair, and gave them bodies like steel, incapable of feeling pain...
- Ashveil: Say, is this the kind of treatment that the Medical Ethics Committee would approve?
- Kuchiba: As if. I doubt they even bothered to submit an application.
- Ashveil: Which means Fulwish has far more dirty laundry than we initially expected.
- Ashveil: The idea was to find the Herald of Death with the leads we had, but here we are, going deeper down an increasingly scarier rabbit hole...
- Kuchiba: Judging by their voices, these followers don't seem to have any ill intentions. In fact, they sound a lot more humane than most humans.
- Kuchiba: If all this has nothing to do with the Herald of Death, then it matters little to our investigation.
- Kuchiba: After all, how they pursue happiness is their own choice. Wouldn't you agree?
- Ashveil: Are you serious, Kuchiba?
- Kuchiba: It's only human instinct to avoid pain, right? Such avoidance doesn't go against the laws of nature, nor does it legally constitute a crime when the party involved was a voluntary participant.
- Ashveil: Not a crime? Well my instinct right now is telling me that this definitely has something to do with the Herald of Death.
- Kuchiba: Unfortunately, Mr. Ashveil, we need evidence to solve a case.
- Ashveil: I'm here to follow my senses and dig up whatever's at the bottom of this. As for the evidence, that's your headache.
- Ashveil: Besides, I don't think we need to turn over every stone to figure it out. If the new Herald of Death and Fulwish are connected, we'll be seeing another move soon enough. If I were her, I'd choose the brightest stage possible, so this weapon could spread maximum panic.
- Kuchiba: ...You mean the Star Rail FEST?
- Kuchiba: Madam Pearl promised that top-level security would be deployed during the FEST, as well as... a contingency plan robust enough to quell any crisis.
- Ashveil: And you are staring right at him.
- Sequence 14Dan Heng tracked down Blade and revealed that Yao Guang foresaw Blade would be plagued by his violent tendencies, and he demanded to know his purpose there. Blade explained his visit concerned "Death," but there was another power of the Abundance existing within Planarcadia, which left him restless and agitated. Until everything was settled, Dan Heng would keep a watchful eye on Blade to ensure the Stellaron Hunters' arrival would not endanger his companions or this planet's future.
- Dan Heng: According to Sunday, the crow should lead me to Blade's whereabouts. Since it stopped here, that means...
- Blade: I wasn't even looking for you, yet here you are, throwing yourself into the fray. Consider me surprised.
- Silver Wolf: We haven't even settled the score over the mask you stole from the Synwish Syndicate, and now you're skulking around and following us. What's your deal?
- Blade: What do you, or should I say, all of you, want?
- Dan Heng: General Yao Guang of the Yuque has come to this world and is looking for you.
- Dan Heng: "Dragons clash in the wilderness, their ichor dark and yellow." In her divination, you will become a slave to your own violence, bringing a catastrophic end to all. I am in that future as well.
- Dan Heng: The only violence within you that comes to my mind is Shuhu.
- Dan Heng: The Emanator of Abundance who resurrected time and time again. The monster who turned planets into living beings and merged billions of people into flesh spheres.
- Dan Heng: The Xianzhou fears that he is using your body... to resurrect himself.
- Blade: So, what's your plan? Kill me again?
- Silver Wolf: Oh my, things are getting a little heated. Should I get you both slushies?
- Dan Heng: Thank you.
- Blade: I'll pass.
- Dan Heng: While General Yao Guang's divination may foretell a death battle between us, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the only interpretation.
- Dan Heng: My experiences on the Express have shown me time and time again that even fates set in stone aren't entirely immovable.
- Blade: ...
- Dan Heng: I have no intention of getting into a quarrel with you, but I need to make sure that the presence of the Stellaron Hunters won't endanger my companions, or the future of this planet.
- Dan Heng: Thus, I must know your purpose here, Blade. What has Destiny's Slave written in your script?
- Blade: He stated this trip would be connected to "Death."
- Dan Heng: ...Should I congratulate you?
- Blade: Much obliged. In my experience, it's best not to get your hopes up too soon. Prophecies rarely unfold the way you expect.
- Blade: However, the General's divination isn't entirely baseless. Ever since my arrival here, I have been feeling restless.
- Blade: There's another power here beckoning me.
- Dan Heng: Is there another form of Abundance in the world besides you?
- Blade: Perhaps there is more than one.
- Dan Heng: Are you referring to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus or the Elixir Seekers?
- Blade: Something far more dangerous.
- Dan Heng: Do they have support from other factions?
- Blade: Unclear.
- Dan Heng: As such, I'll keep an eye on you until everything settles, just like you did in the past.
- Dan Heng: That's as far as I'll go.
- Blade: Hah.
- Silver Wolf: Did you two just agree to some weird collaboration before me?
- Blade: I'll leave that matter in your hands, Silver Wolf.
- Silver Wolf: I don't get it. That good-for-nothing detective didn't even blink an eye before selling us out to Pearl, and you still plan on working with him?
- Blade: There are things only he can get done.
- Sequence 15Through tuning, Sunday detected a unified "laughter of happiness" echoing through the minds of the Smiles Society members. At the same time, Yao Guang vanished from Sunday's senses.
- Meanwhile, in Dovebrook District...
- Happy Resident: Hey, you two. Why the long faces? On land blessed by the Master of Elation, frowning is bad manners~
- Smiling Resident: Come on, smile! Whether you're hungry or full, poor or rich, The Laughter is with you! Would you be interested in learning about our Research Society of Happy Smiles?
- Sunday: Thank you, but I'll pass.
- Sunday: Another one. How many people have been talking to us about "happiness" today?
- Tingyun: Well, six, exactly.
- Tingyun: Locals say ever since the Synwish Syndicate case, this Research Society of Happy Smiles has exploded in size.
- Sunday: That gang's fall left a power vacuum, and the Research Society of Happy Smiles filled it like a fast-growing fungus. Even those who were once resistant or indifferent got swept up in it.
- Tingyun: Hm, I think I'm starting to get a better picture now. Is this, by any chance, tied to what you're preparing to do in the Phantasmoon Games?
- Sunday: Not only me. It might also be tied to the "Ominous Fate" General Yao Guang warned about... The one looming over this world.
- Sunday: A few days ago, when I used the tuning power to help her intervene at SparxiCon, I caught a strange sound echoing in people's minds.
- Tingyun: ...A strange sound?
- Sunday: Yes, cheerful, happy laughter echoing in their heads.
- Happy Thoughts: (Heh heh... Without those gangsters, this street's much cleaner now, hahaha!)
- Happy Thoughts: (Hahahahaha—)
- Tingyun: The so-called "voice of Aha" those society recruiters claim to hear? Could the Joyseeker truly be so passionate about universal redemption?
- Sunday: Whatever that is, it's not Aha's laughter.
- Sunday: From the moment I set foot on this street, I've been using my tuning ability to sense the residents' minds. Miss Tingyun, allow me to correct you... those connected to the Research Society of Happy Smiles number not six, but forty-two.
- Sunday: Each of them carries the same sound: identical laughter, looping endlessly like a broken record.
- Tingyun: Mind control? Or... something worse?
- Sunday: Are you trying to say that this is tied to the Harmony?
- Tingyun: My apologies. I dare not make such wild assumptions.
- Sunday: No. This isn't the work of any Tuner. It feels like a barrier, born from the human mind itself, to numb the unbearable pain it cannot endure.
- Sunday: Like a worn out tape recorder hidden deep in the subconscious, repeating the same thing over and over: "I am happy. I am happy."
- Tingyun: So... whose divine handiwork is this supposed to be now?
- Sunday: Wherever this laughter comes from, causing so many people to self-deceive in perfect unison while enduring pain is well beyond the capabilities of a mere charitable group.
- Sunday: Beneath these calm waters, the undercurrents are far more turbulent than anyone imagines.
- Tingyun: The bad news just keeps coming. Dan Heng's gone off on his own, and Madam Yao's completely vanished. Can you still sense her?
- Sunday: The bird I entrusted to General Yao Guang has seemingly gone silent. I can't share its vision anymore. I can't even feel her thoughts through it.
- Sunday: But I know it hasn't faded. That means she's still in this world somewhere.
- Tingyun: Let's pray she returns soon, with some news to pierce through all this fog. Otherwise, this arcadia built on happiness will crumble fast and fall into the abyss...
- Returning to the Trailblazer's POV...
- When you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret.
Trivia
- The name of this mission is a reference to James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
- Asat Pramad can be seen disguised as Mr. Meanie in the background of Fulwish's speech. If left idle, his laughter can be heard.
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Confessions of a Righteous Sinner |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 一个正义罪人的忏悔 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 一個正義罪人的懺悔 |
| Japanese | 正しき罪人の懺悔 |
| Korean | 한 정의로운 죄인의 참회 |
| Spanish | Confesiones de un pecador justo |
| French | Confessions d'un pécheur vertueux |
| Russian | Исповедь праведного грешника |
| Thai | คำสารภาพของผู้ผิดบาปที่ชอบธรรม |
| Vietnamese | Lời Sám Hối Của Một Tội Đồ Chính Nghĩa |
| German | Bekenntnisse eines rechtschaffenen Sünders |
| Indonesian | Pengakuan Dosa Seorang Pendosa yang Adil |
| Portuguese | Confissões de Um Pecador Justo |
Change History
Released in Version 4.1
