That night, they lost sight of Elena Kasner.
Because of that, posters and bounty notices were distributed across the city. Munich was placed under partial lockdown, sealing its borders and tightening all transport routes.
There was no way for Elena to escape.
Following Gabriel’s report, additional Revenant Knight units were deployed to assist in the manhunt. It was clear Elena Kasner was no ordinary Glassheart, but an experienced one.
That being said, Gabriel made his way to the scene of the secretary’s death.
"Just like the case with Herschel Adelbert Becker," one of the officers reported. "No signs of struggle or any traces of substance use. Their fingerprints were found on the ropes as well."
Gabriel frowned, looking at the scene in silence before murmuring, "It’s as if they just... let themselves be hanged. Could it be coercion?"
"That’s the most likely explanation," the officer replied. "I just don’t understand why people like the secretary or the professor would willingly end their lives, as if they suddenly had nothing left to lose."
Gabriel looked up at the ceiling where the rope still hung. The markings on the neck were clean. Not a single bruise elsewhere on the body.
"Both men were respected by the public," Gabriel said. "Both had stable careers, families, and reputations. There’s no reason they’d choose this kind of death."
The officer nodded grimly. "Exactly. It doesn’t add up. Whoever’s behind this wanted it to look perfect."
Gabriel crouched beside the desk. On the terminal screen, traces of a wiped data log flashed under the scanner light. Someone had deleted the records not long before the death.
"Have you recovered this yet?" Gabriel asked.
"We tried, sir," the technician answered from behind him. "But the system’s been wiped clean. Not even residual data left in the cache."
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "That’s not something an ordinary person could do."
"Exactly," the technician replied. "We’re led to believe it’s someone with government-grade access. If that’s true, recovering anything will be impossible. The same thing happened at the university. Camera feeds were erased at the exact time of death."
"Tsk."
Gabriel clicked his tongue in frustration before rejoining the rest of the Revenant Knights stationed nearby.
One of them spoke up. "The Manticore, Elena Kasner, and these suicide cases... they aren’t connected, are they?"
Gabriel shook his head. "No. But someone wants us to think they are. It’s like a Grim Reaper is tailing the Manticore, cleaning up after her or framing her, I can’t tell which."
"Right. If it weren’t for those deaths, Elena Kasner’s identity as the Manticore would’ve never come to light."
That was the irony. The suicides had nothing to do with the Manticore herself, yet they were the reason the Revenant Knights had been forced to turn all their attention toward her.
"Could it be the Secret Police?" one of the Revenant Knights asked.
"It sounds like something they’d do," Gabriel replied. "But these killings are too messy. The Republic might be rotten, but even they wouldn’t risk burning half of Munich just to catch one Glassheart."
Gabriel crossed his arms and scanned the scene before continuing.
"If they knew Elena Kasner was one of them all along, they’d have eliminated her quietly."
"So now we’re chasing two completely different targets," one of the Knights muttered.
"Exactly," Gabriel said. "And we’ve got no solid lead on this third party pulling the strings."
He turned to face them.
"Catch two rabbits and you’ll end up with none. Our focus stays on the Manticore for the time being. Gather every piece of data you can find on Elena Kasner. Then regroup at the flat."
"Yes, sir."
The Knights dispersed immediately. Gabriel remained where he stood, looking out over the neon skyline. He felt the exhaustion creeping in.
With a sigh, he lit a cigarette and took a long drag. The smoke curled in the air before dissolving into the night.
"Should’ve just gone back with Julius. Damn it."
If this operation went south, it would be Gabriel’s first stain in his otherwise spotless career.
* * *
Thankfully, Dr. Otto Kranz had been stabilized before the blood loss became fatal. Thanks to the Revenant Knights’ quick medical response, he survived long enough to be transferred to the hospital.
The following day, Gabriel arrived with a few of his men. Dr. Otto sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly out the window.
"Dr. Otto," Gabriel said.
The man didn’t turn. "My wife filed for divorce."
"...."
"She took the kids and left," Otto continued. He sounded like a man who had already made peace with his ruin. "What am I supposed to do now..."
"Dr. Otto," Gabriel said, "we’re here to ask you about Elena Kasner. As I mentioned, you’re still under investigation."
"...I don’t know anything about her."
Gabriel pulled up a stool and sat across from him.
"Firstly," Gabriel began, "how long have you been seeing her?"
Dr. Otto hesitated before answering, "Two months... maybe three. She was an intern assigned to Heilige Kreuz Medical Institute earlier this year."
Gabriel raised a brow. "Under your supervision?"
"Yes," Otto admitted. "Her focus was on bio-crystal adaptation in synthetic organs. Something to do with neural lattice integration. She was more talented than her peers."
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "Talented enough to catch your attention?"
The doctor twitched at the remark but didn’t deny it. "It wasn’t supposed to happen. At first, it was just professional. Then... she came up to me one evening. Said she was desperate to get hired after graduation. That she’d do anything for a permanent position at the institute."
"And so you slept with her."
"...."
"There’s no need to be ashamed, Doctor," Gabriel continued. "My hands have been stained with blood before I even knew my times table. I’m the least qualified man to judge you."
Dr. Otto stayed silent for a moment, as if contemplating, before finally speaking.
"Yes... that’s how it started. But her talent was remarkable. So was her charisma. Despite being an intern, I assigned her to assist the doctors who handled the mayor’s routine checkups. That’s how exceptional she was."
"...The mayor."
Gabriel leaned back as the pieces began to align in his mind. That was likely how she met the secretary.
Still, her motives remained uncertain.
"Sometimes, when she thought I wasn’t listening, she’d whisper something... over and over again."
"What did she say?" Gabriel asked.
Otto’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Daddy will recognize me soon enough."
"...."
Gabriel’s expression darkened instantly. One of the Knights standing beside him clenched his jaw.
"I understand her mother was a prostitute," the Knight said. "So her father could be anyone. Are you telling us she was sleeping with someone she knew was her own father?!"
The room went dead silent. All eyes turned toward Otto. The killing intent emanating from them was palpable.
"N–No!" Otto stammered, his face paling. "It’s not me! I didn’t sleep with whores when I was younger, and with Elena, I made sure to use protection!"
The interrogation dragged on longer than expected. Otto didn’t know much about Elena personally, yet even scraps of information could prove useful.
Gabriel and the Knights turned to leave, but before they could step through the door, Otto spoke again.
"Wait... there was one thing," Otto said, causing them to stop. "Whenever the mayor came in for his checkups, Elena always insisted on being there, no matter what. I assumed it was just another intern trying to be opportunistic."
Gabriel glanced back. "And how did she seem whenever she was dealing with the mayor?"
"...Like she wasn’t herself."