A Case of Indecency
Filex Kenkou’s Chronicle of the Phantom Thief
Some quests involve primals. Some involve empires. Some involve time-bending mindscapes. Then there are quests like “A Case of Indecency”, where the greatest threat is someone who steals neckpieces and Hildibrand insists on wearing dresses to banquets. In all my travels across Eorzea, I have fought gods, walked through apocalyptic visions, and stood as a shield against calamity — and yet nothing prepared me for what transpired in Costa del Sol when I trudged alongside the self-described “inspector extraordinaire.”
The task began on the heels of yet another baffling failure in Hildibrand’s investigation into the mysterious phantom thief. Rumors had been swirling of a thief who struck under cover of ceremony — a shadow among high society, stealing not riches alone but honor by proxy. This thief had outwitted the authorities and brought shame upon many an unwary gallant. Even now, the brides and betrothed of La Noscea whispered in fearful tones at every festival hall.
Before we could confront this elusive fiend directly, Hildibrand summoned me with his usual panache — by which I mean he leapt into my sight with the enthusiasm of a pyrotechnic tradition and the subtlety of a bombshell. He declared that our next confrontation with the thief was nigh, and that upon our return to Costa del Sol, we would finally bring the culprit to earth using the “time-tested Manderville art of parley,” which I later learned was loosely defined as wearing a dress at a banquet and seeing what happens.
Costa del Sol: Festivities and Fears
Upon arriving in the sunlit streets of Costa del Sol, it became immediately clear that the stakes were high. A grand banquet was set to commence, and though Miss Arabella — the lapis maiden and daughter of an influential house — was meant to be the crowning figure of the ceremony, Inspector Briardien deemed it far too dangerous to let her walk the public thoroughfare while the phantom thief stalked the region. The fiend’s previous antics had shown no scruples, and now, with the event imminent, security had reached a heightened pitch.
we were tasked with retrieving a servant’s garb from the Gegeruju Manor retainer. The idea was simple — disguise Arabella as a humble servant so she might avoid detection while the banquet unfolded. I went, garb in hand, under the blazing sun and delivered it to Arabella herself. The relief in her eyes was faint but unmistakable; while she may have been expected to play the role of noblewoman, her heart was clearly set on far greater things than forced unions and rigid social obligations.
At Inspector Briardien’s direction, she changed out of her lavish gown and into the drab clothing I’d procured. Her transformation was touching, a reminder that behind every noble skyline in Eorzea stand people with hopes, dreams, and — more importantly — free will.
Once Arabella was hidden safely, I returned to Hildibrand with her exquisite banquet dress in tow. Briardien instructed me to deliver it to Hildibrand, though even he admitted he was unsure how this garment would further the investigation. Still, nothing in Hildibrand’s career had ever been halted by a lack of logic, and even less by an actual clue
Enter the Manderville Plan
Hildibrand greeted the dress with confusion — as was his gift — but assured me he knew precisely what to do. This assurance was my cue to find a seat among the gathering socialites and watch the madness unfold.
He emerged before the assembled nobles not as the dashing investigator Eorzea expected, but as the lapis maiden herself, clad in the very gown Arabella had just shed. Hildibrand’s reasoning was pure Manderville logic: if the true bride-to-be had never been seen before, and if Vannes (Arabella’s betrothed) reacted with shock at Hildibrand’s faux identity, then surely Vannes must be the thief. Or so he concluded, reasoning that was simultaneously bold and breathtakingly wrong.
Predictably, the crowd — and especially the Brass Blades of the Gerbera — reacted with horror. Hildibrand was promptly seized, cries of “pervert!” echoing around the elegant plaza.
The Phantom Thief Revealed
Just when proceedings seemed wholly derailed, the banquet erupted into chaos. Vannes himself — having discerned the deception — recognized Arabella among the guests, and reached for her hand just as a puff of smoke signaled the thief’s grand entrance. The fiend revealed himself with theatrical flourish, summoning a horde of Mandragoras in his defense.
Blade met vine in an absurd melee, with Hildibrand nearly sending the rogue plants into retreat via sheer enthusiasm (and a fair bit of luck). In contrast, I stepped forward to confront the thief, only to watch him slip away into another smoke-filled escape, leaving behind his plunder not as some stolen body or soul — but Arabella’s ornate neckpiece. This jewel, it seemed, was known among the elite as “Azeyma’s Virtue”, a treasure of both monetary and symbolic worth.
Though the crowd watched with stunned silence, Arabella herself breathed a sigh of liberation. The cancellation of her marriage — though dramatic — seemed to herald a new chapter for her. Old ties severed, she mused with quiet strength that she would shape her own fate. Even the ever-enthusiastic Ellie, Briardien’s aide, could only remark on the surreal afternoon: someone needed to find Hildibrand a change of clothes.
Reflections on the Fiesta of Folly
As the dust settled, we gathered what fragments of order remained. Inspector Briardien studied the challenge card left in Hildibrand’s pate — taunting, teasing, and promising future confrontation — and deduced that although we had thwarted this treasure’s theft, the thief’s game was far from over. The phantom thief was slippery, clever, and perhaps reveling in the spectacle he’d created.
Meanwhile, I considered what it means to assist in a Hildibrand investigation. Logic scarcely holds; chaos becomes the standard currency; and one’s own role shifts from participant to something like audience in a three-ring circus. Yet there is joy in the absurdity, lessons in patience, and — if one squints really hard — breadcrumbs of truth beneath all the glitter and farce.
Throughout this journey, from rain-touched roads of La Noscea to the sun-drenched stage of Costa del Sol, I witnessed bravery in humility (Arabella), dedication in madness (Briardien), and laughter in the face of chaos (Hildibrand). On the curious scale of Eorzean adventures, few have left me as simultaneously bewildered and entertained as A Case of Indecency.
And so, with neckpiece still lost to legend, and a phantom thief still at large, I stand ready for the next twist in this investigation, weapons keen and patience… moderately intact. Until then, may your own journeys be as strange and as memorable.
Be ready for the next part of filexs continues the investigation into the phantom thief.
