After listening to Robin's account, Sylvia frowned.
"I have a question... According to the intelligence, The Family laid hands on the Stellaron around the time Penacony was first liberated, right?"
Sylvia hadn't actively tried to memorize the exact year, but she still had a general impression of the timeline.
Robin nodded, confirming Sylvia's words.
"That's correct. Is there something wrong?"
"For something so ancient and important, how did you and Sparkle find evidence in just a few days? Did Sparkle do most of the heavy lifting?"
From the moment Robin first began to suspect The Family to today, when she shared her discoveries with Sylvia, not many days had passed at all.
Sunday was no fool. How could he possibly leave flaws lying around for Robin to catch?
Unless Sparkle had done it on purpose.
She had set Robin up, pushing her right into the spotlight just to watch the chaos unfold.
Hearing Sylvia's doubts, Robin gave a soft nod.
"I deduced a few conclusions from my conversation with Mr. Gopher Wood, and then I asked Miss Sparkle to investigate with me. Miss Sparkle really was a massive help."
With that, Robin smiled again.
"I know I've turned myself into a target for everyone right now, but this is the result of my discussions with Miss Sparkle."
Her lack of intelligence and influence made every step forward incredibly difficult for Robin. Sylvia possessed terrifying martial prowess, but that strength was hard to utilize when it came to a stealthy investigation.
If The Family truly was riddled with internal conflicts, Robin knew her actions were bound to clash with them sooner or later.
So, she simply stepped out into the open.
She wanted everyone's eyes on her.
As a grand superstar, Robin had plenty of experience dealing with hidden gazes. If the situation remained a stagnant pool of water where nobody moved, they would never find any clues. Now that she had Sparkle helping her and Sylvia backing her up, Robin boldly made her move.
And sure enough, The Family had immediately caught wind of it.
"...That was my thought process. My status is quite sensitive anyway, so it's better to just stand openly on the stage. The only thing that surprised me was that Mr. Gopher Wood actually spoke up for me in secret, which makes me feel a bit guilty."
Robin couldn't quite fathom the Dreammaster's intentions. He was acting like a loving patriarch, tolerating all of her stubborn whims—even though she wanted to tear down The Family's Stellaron.
"I want to deal with the Stellaron before the IPC arrives on Penacony. If we succeed, we can use the news of the Stellaron to disrupt their judgment. I'm certain the IPC won't let such a shocking scandal slide."
Robin smiled faintly as she took a sip of her tea.
She wasn't oblivious to the fact that Topaz, one of the Stonehearts, was in contact with Sylvia. But Robin didn't mind. Setting aside the fact that Sylvia was only responsible for her safety, they currently needed the IPC to put pressure on The Family.
If her plan worked, The Family would undergo a reshuffling. A newly united Family could use the Stellaron as a distraction to draw the IPC's attention.
If it failed, then so be it if the IPC intervened in Penacony. Anything was better than letting the Stellaron keep devouring people here.
Breaking Penacony's monopoly wouldn't be a bad thing, and with Sylvia around, inviting the Astral Express into the fray wouldn't be too difficult either.
With three factions keeping each other in check, it would at least force The Family to restrain themselves.
Layer by layer, she laid out all of her thoughts to Sylvia.
In response, Robin was met with Sylvia's wide, staring eyes.
"...This plan, did you come up with it all on your own?"
"Of course, Miss Sparkle deserves credit too. I wouldn't dare make such a bold assumption by myself."
Robin smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.
Sparkle could be quite eccentric, but she had certainly given Robin a boost of courage. And, of course, Sylvia's presence gave her a bedrock of reassurance.
"It really is bold... It's no wonder you're being watched."
Sylvia let out a breath and leaned back against the sofa, sinking into thought. Robin was far more daring than she had anticipated. Of course, Sylvia suspected that Sparkle's instigation played a massive role in this. That girl was probably ecstatic, watching Penacony turn into a chaotic mess.
"But there's still one more problem," Robin said, drawing Sylvia's gaze back to her.
"What problem?"
"Even though Miss Sparkle and I found the location and origin of the Stellaron, we have absolutely no clues as to who is controlling it."
Robin frowned, a look of confusion on her face.
The Family had five lineages, and only so many leaders. But she couldn't exactly pry open their minds to see who it was.
"...Could it be that Dreammaster you mentioned?"
Sylvia reviewed the information she had just gathered. Gopher Wood's support forced her to read between the lines.
While it could be viewed as a senior doting on a junior, hence his willingness to share information with Robin, Robin was completely isolated. Sunday's cautious approach was clearly better suited to keeping her safe.
Having raised the siblings since they were children, and being the Dreammaster of The Family, Sylvia didn't believe for a second that Gopher Wood was ignorant of Robin's actions.
Furthermore, she didn't believe he couldn't guess what Robin would do once she found out. Yet, when the other lineages tried to target Robin, he stepped in to support her.
If you called it an elder's care and grooming for the younger generation, it made sense. But if you stepped outside of that perspective, it could very well be an intentional push to guide Robin to the front of the stage.
"If it's Mr. Gopher Wood... why would he support my actions?"
Robin admitted she couldn't fully understand Gopher Wood, but at the very least, he wasn't someone with malicious whims.
"Hmm... That makes sense. Then again, what exactly is that Dreammaster thinking?"
"I'm not sure either."
Robin shook her head with a bitter smile. Her trust in Mr. Gopher Wood was not much different from her trust in her brother.
"Regardless, Sylvia, we need to conduct a thorough investigation of the Penacony Grand Theater. I'll find a way to search for research materials regarding the Stellaron within The Family."
"You can still look for Stellaron-related things inside The Family right now?"
"Why wouldn't I be able to? Don't forget, there are still many compatriots in The Family who believe in Harmony."
Robin smiled with confidence.
"Internal strife and external threats, huh~ I got it. I'll go investigate the Grand Theater."
Sylvia stood up and stretched.
For this matter, she would likely have to ask Himeko for help, or perhaps consult Kafka. Those two had a fair amount of research on Stellarons, and relying on Sylvia alone might not yield any results.
With that thought, Sylvia prepared to leave the room.
But Robin suddenly stood up and followed her.
Meeting Sylvia's puzzled eyes, Robin responded with a warm smile.
"Come and dance with me. It's better to relax a bit before taking action."
"That ball invitation message... Sparkle sent it, didn't she?"
"Miss Sparkle did send it when I wasn't paying attention, but she told me that you brought a friend along on your return, Sylvia. Isn't this the perfect chance to get to know each other?"
Robin took Sylvia's hand, full of enthusiasm.
Being invited so warmly, Sylvia's expression turned a bit subtle. She gave a faint nod.
"Uh... I'll go ask."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL