Robben versus Chesterton: Iridescent Brooch is a Book Collection found in Fontaine.
Locations[]
Vol 1[]
Call me Poiret. Some years ago — never mind how long precisely — having little or no Mora in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me outside of the city, I traveled to the Court of Fontaine and entered the care of my uncle Chesterton, the famous private detective. To my surprise, he immediately tasked me with assisting him in tracing Robben, the mysterious Phantom Thief...
The Court should not be so deserted at midnight, and yet, at this point in time, there was nary a person to be seen on the streets outside Mr. Pierre's mansion. Only the autumn night wind echoed beneath the cold moon like a lamenting harp.
In the shadows, the police and journalists watched the well-lit mansion a stone's throw away like hawks, waiting for the arrival of a certain "esteemed guest."
Like everyone else involved, I, too, was hidden in the shadow of a street corner. The long wait was beginning to bore me...
"This is taking too long. Will Robben really show up?"
The lady journalist from the Steambird seemed to hold a different opinion about this matter, and rebutted me immediately:
"Of course he will! He's sent a message ahead, claiming that he shall steal that Iridescent Starstone Brooch — he's not going to go back on his word! The only question, really, is what sort of cool method he'll use to arrive at the scene this time..."
"Hmm? You seem to be..."
"Of course I am! It would be more surprising for someone to not be enamored with the Phantom Thief!"
And just as the journalist was excitedly regaling me with tales of this rogue's "great deeds," the clock struck midnight exactly.
Suddenly, there was a great explosion, and the mansion lights died all at once. Before we could adapt to the sudden darkness, a great light blazed forth from the mansion window, rendering the night day for a few moments.
Having recovered their sight, the police filed in, and I trailed after, stepping into Mr. Pierre's collection room.
There was nothing on the dais — the Iridescent Starstone Brooch was gone.
Both the roars of rage and cries of dismay seemed washed out and meaningless in the face of this obvious truth. The hubbub of the crowd and the remnant sounds of the explosion formed a cacophonic mix that made my head hurt.
There was nothing for me to do, so as my uncle instructed, I pretended to investigate the scene before returning home.
Before I left, I heard the sound of a shutter behind me, and the lady journalist's most unprofessional gushing:
"Ah! The legendary Phantom Thief Robben makes yet another extravagant exit! A wonderful performance indeed!"
Vol 2[]
Luckily, the crime scene was not far from my uncle's house, and I dragged my exhausted self back there.
He did not react to my return, instead continuing to read at his usual spot, just as always.
"I imagine that The Steambird's headline tomorrow will be quite a riot."
"You don't seem worried at all," I hung my coat up, unfastened my collar button, and sank into a comfy spot on the sofa, before giving him all the details of the incident.
"...The explosion was not intended to destroy anything within the mansion, but to cover up a different part of the Phantom Thief's plan. He was hiding the sound of a clockwork meka's movements underneath the loud sounds of the explosion."
"A clockwork meka? He'd be hard-pressed to escape with something that large, so it must have been ditched somewhere nearby. And we may yet find some clues off of it... It seems that this Robben is not as clever as claimed — methinks we shall close the net around him soon."
"That is no certain thing. Just as the explosion was only used to hide the sound of the clockwork meka, the meka itself could also be little more than bait."
"This is so complicated." I ran my hands through my messy hair. "And what about the brooch?"
"It's still in the mansion." My uncle paused for a second. "All these tricks point to a single goal — convincing everyone that the brooch is already gone. No one could ever imagine now that the 'stolen' item is actually still on-site."
"After that, all he needs to do is to fabricate some identity that will grant him access to the mansion — in which case, he can swipe the brooch without raising any alarms."
Vol 3[]
"I see. What a cunning fellow..."
My uncle stared at me with obvious interest, as if waiting for me to continue. Seeing that, I took a deep breath and started explaining my deductions.
"As you have said, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. So with your hypothesis in mind, everyone at the scene could be guilty — and in the worst case, everyone could be involved. Robben the Phantom Thief may, in fact, be a group rather than a person..."
I recalled everyone back there, trying to remember every trivial suspicious thing.
"Ms. Leblanc from The Steambird is definitely an admirer of Robben. Well, I did examine her journalistic credentials, but forging identification papers should be easy for him."
"Mr. Chandler from the Maison Gardiennage left the scene for a time, and did not return till the theft had already happened. He was incredibly infuriated, but on further consideration, that might also have been an act."
"Madame Christie from the Marechaussee Phantom has been stressing to everyone the possibility of Robben using a clockwork meka. Considering your hypothesis, this could in fact be a deliberate red herring."
...
"Well, who do you think? Amongst all these people, who is the most likely to be the culprit?"
Having evaluated everyone for the possibility of guilt, I asked my uncle this question with much care.
"You have keen eyes indeed." My uncle put his pipe down and stood up, his steel cane glinting coolly in the moonlight. "However, you've missed something... something most vital to the case."
I was stunned for a moment. He raised the cane.
"You — the gentleman who came to see the uncle he has never met, claiming to be Poiret — were in the crowd back then, too. Am I not right, Mr. Robben?"
Trivia[]
- The book's cover says DETE-CTIVE (detective) in the Fontaine Script.
- Coincidentally, the narrator, who was tasked by his detective uncle to assist him in investigating Robben, shares his name with in-game detective assistant Poiret, who is currently incarcerated in the Fortress of Meropide.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Robben versus Chesterton: Iridescent Brooch | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怪盗与名侦探：虹彩胸针之谜 Guàidào yǔ Míng Zhēntàn: Hóngcǎi Xiōngzhēn zhī Mí | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 怪盜與名偵探：虹彩胸針之謎 Guàidào yǔ Míng Zhēntàn: Hóngcǎi Xiōngzhēn zhī Mí | |
| Japanese | 怪盗と名探偵：レインボーブローチの謎 Kaitou to Meitantei: Reinboo Buroochi no Nazo | |
| Korean | 괴도와 명탐정: 무지갯빛 브로치의 비밀 Goedowa Myeongtamjeong: Mujigaetbit Beurochiui Bimil | |
| Spanish | El detective y el ladrón: el misterio del broche irisado | The Detective and the Thief: The Mystery of the Iridescent Brooch |
| French | Robben contre Chesterton : La broche irisée | Robben versus Chesterton: The Iridescent Brooch |
| Russian | Бандиты и сыщики: Радужная брошь Bandity i syshchiki: Raduzhnaya brosh' | |
| Thai | จอมโจรและยอดนักสืบ: ปริศนาเข็มกลัดสายรุ้ง | |
| Vietnamese | Siêu Trộm Và Thám Tử Lừng Danh: Bí Ẩn Chiếc Trâm Cài | |
| German | Robben gegen Chesterton: Das Geheimnis der Regenbogenbrosche | Robben versus Chesterton: The Secret of the Rainbow Brooch |
| Indonesian | Robben Melawan Chesterton: Misteri Bros Pelangi | Robben versus Chesterton: Mystery of Rainbow Brooch |
| Portuguese | O Detetive e o Ladrão: O Mistério do Broche Arco-íris | |
| Turkish | Robben Chesterton'a Karşı: Gökkuşağı Broşu | Robben versus Chesterton: Rainbow Brooch |
| Italian | Robben contro Chesterton: La spilla iridata |
