This time's story will be『A small mystery, Talker・Puzzle Chapter』.
Since you're here, you might as well try to deduce the full story behind the case.
By the way, the puzzle chapter is quite long (about 18,000 characters).
Because it was far too long, I thought of splitting it, but I thought that if I divided the puzzle chapter, my readers would have to go back and forth between the pages many times when they are making their deductions.
Hence, I decided to publish it without splitting it.
Therefore, I recommended that you read it when you have the time, and after you’ve gotten some snacks and drinks ready.
※P.S.
It’s OK to post your deduction in the comments section!
Normally, I would prefer if you refrained from posting spoilers, but this time, it’s a special story, so please go ahead!
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With Leisha accompanying her, Ophelia arrived at the morgue where Irene’s body was being held. The military policeman in charge was waiting at the facility.
「Are you Ophelia, Irene’s guarantor?」
「Huh, yes, that’s right」
「Excuse me, but do you have anything that can prove that you are indeed Ophelia?」
Ophelia showed the military policeman her Seeker registration certificate as well as the letter that she had received from the military police.
「Thank you very much. I’ve confirmed your identity」
The military policeman nodded, and then took out some documents.
「It was an unexpected death this time, so we conducted an investigation. However, there were no signs of foul play. This is Irene's post-mortem report and death certificate. I’ll acknowledge the receipt of the death certificate, so I’m sorry for the trouble, but please fill in the necessary information here」
「Pl, please wait a minute! Even if you suddenly say that there are no signs of foul play…… Can you explain it properly?」
The military policeman had a look that said that he found it troublesome, but he took out his notebook and read its contents out loud.
「Irene's body was discovered at noon the day before yesterday. The first person to find the body was the landlady of the apartment building where Irene lived. For crime prevention purposes, the landlady of this apartment building has an arrangement where she visits the apartments every day at the time specified by the tenants. The time specified by Irene was 12 pm. Because her working hours were 7 pm to 2 am, it appeared that she would always be in at that time」
The military policeman turned a page of his notebook and continued speaking.
「However, only on that day, there was no reply no matter how many times the visiting landlady knocked. The landlady found it suspicious and used the master key to enter the apartment. At that time, she found Irene lying on the bed, but she was no longer breathing and had already turned cold」
The military policeman turned to next page.
「We rushed there after the landlady had reported it, and after our investigation, we concluded that Irene had been dead for about six hours based on the condition of her body. If we suppose that she had gone home immediately after she left work, she would have reached home at about 3 am. In other words, it can be surmised that her physical condition took a sudden turn within the following three hours, which led to her death from heart failure」
Ophelia transcribed the words of the military policeman into her own notebook, and then she questioned him anew.
「You said that there were no signs of foul play, but do you mean to say that you didn’t find any signs of a struggle?」
「Yes, that's right. There were no signs that anyone had entered the apartment. The key was in Irene's bedroom, and there were also no marks on the keyhole that indicated that the lock had been picked. The key is a special type, and it can only be duplicated from the master key. According to the landlady, it seems Irene had never applied for a duplicate key to be made」
「I see……」
「We checked the mana density using a measuring instrument, but there were no abnormalities on that end either」
Upon hearing that information, Leisha and Ophelia widened their eyes and looked at each other.
Depending on the Job, it’s possible to kill someone in a locked room without leaving any traces. But the murderer would have needed to use Skills to accomplish that. And in order to use Skills, magic power needed to be consumed, which would have increased the mana density of the surroundings.
Since the military police had used a dedicated measuring instrument, they would have detected that immediately. Moreover, because poisons that had been refined using Skills also had magic power inside them, they couldn’t avoid being picked up by the measuring instrument.
Certain Jobs could use Skills without consuming magic power, but that was because of their trait of not having any Skills that could cause direct harm. People with those Jobs likely couldn’t learn any Skills that would be useful for murder.
In other words, this meant that even if it was a murder, Skills had not been used.
「Toxicological testing was also done, but there were no traces of any poison inside Irene or the apartment. The body’s condition has been summarized in the post-mortem report, so if you look through it, it should help you understand that there was no foul play」
「Is, is that so……」
「If you would like to see the body, please ask the staff of this facility」
Goodbye then, said the military policeman as he left quickly.
Ophelia was hanging her head dejectedly. Leisha couldn't find the words to say to her.
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A beautiful elf’s body laid bare on top of a cold metal bed.
It was Irene's body. She had lost her soul, but her beauty was the same as when she was alive. There were no injuries anywhere, so it looked like she was merely sleeping.
Ophelia, who had been ushered into the morgue to see Irene, had burst into tears with grief. However, with continued encouragement from Leisha, she had now regained her composure.
「I don’t believe that it was heart failure…… She was definitely murdered by someone……」
Ophelia raised her eyebrows in anger and chewed her lip.
Leisha could understand Ophelia’s feelings of being unable to accept it. Even Leisha had a sense that something was off about Irene’s death.
However, judging from what the military policeman had said, as well as the contents of the post-mortem report, the possibility of it being a murder was extremely close to zero. No matter how she thought about it, it was impossible to murder Irene in a locked room without using Skills or poison.
「Supposing that――」
Ophelia muttered quietly.
「Supposing that there are poisons that can get around the toxicological testing, wouldn’t it be possible that it was murder?」
Leisha was about to say no, but immediately reconsidered.
「Certainly, it might be possible……」
Even for the toxicological testing, it wasn’t as if it could detect all poisons unconditionally. In the first place, there were countless kinds of poisons. It would require a great deal of time and all sorts of tests to detect every single one of them. That was why the military police only tested for a limited variety of poisons in their toxicological testing.
In other words, there were poisons that could not be detected by the toxicological testing.
「But a dissection is needed to detect unknown poisons, right?」
「That's right……」
Leisha and Ophelia looked at Irene's body. Although post-mortem lividity had set in, there wasn’t a scratch on her skin. The military police had judged that there was no foul play, so a judicial dissection had not been performed.
「From the way things are looking, I don’t believe that the military police will re-investigate this case, and it’ll cost us a huge amount of money to hire a specialist to perform the dissection」
「But if the dissection makes it clear that it’s a murder……」
「Even if we hired someone to do a dissection, I believe that the chances of it making anything clear are low. We’ll probably be able to get more information than the simple saliva and blood test that the military police did, but it isn’t as if there is anything that we’ll know for sure just by investigating the organs. It may end up being only a waste of time and money……」
The approach of giving it a try just because there was nothing to lose wasn’t wrong. But considering the costs that they would incur for the dissection and the toxicological testing, it didn't strike her as a good idea.
「Rather, if we assume that it was a murder, I think that it's better to investigate the people around Irene. If we’re able to find someone who has a motive to kill Irene, we may be able to prove that it was a murder from there」
「Certainly, you’re right……」
Ophelia nodded, and then smiled feebly.
「To tell the truth, even I know that the chances of it being a murder are low. But if it was indeed a murder, the murderer who killed Irene would get away with it forever, right? ……I can't stand that. I would feel sorry for Irene if that happened」
Looking at Ophelia, who was nearly in tears, Leisha put a hand on her shoulder.
「Ophelia, please have confidence in your own judgment」
「……Huh?」
「I think that Irene was murdered too」
When Leisha declared that, Ophelia’s eyes widened into saucers.
「Why do you think so?」
「In the beginning, I thought that it was heart failure as well. But as I was looking at Irene's body, my opinion changed. I mean, isn’t Irene's body too pristine? If she really had heart failure, she should have suffered considerably before her death. And I think that she would have clutched at her chest like this」
Leisha acted out the motions of grasping and clawing at her chest with both hands.
「If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be normal for her to have scratches on her chest?」
Ophelia looked at Irene's body once more.
「There…… aren’t any scratches, are there……」
「Right? There are probably cases where the heart stopped without even time for the body to move, but I don't think that a young elf’s physical condition can deteriorate so abruptly to that level. Did Irene ever mention to you that she had a chronic illness?」
「No, she didn’t mention anything of the sort. She was healthy. Which means that, as I thought……」
Leisha nodded.
「She was murdered」
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They decided to pay the money for extending the period the morgue held Irene’s body.
Normally, the body would be cremated immediately, and then the bones would be buried. However, chances were good that the unknown poison used to murder Irene had remained inside her body.
If they uncovered the murderer’s identity and found out the poison used, then it would be easy to detect the poison that had likely remained inside Irene's body, which would then become definitive proof of the murder.
For that reason, they couldn't let Irene’s body be cremated right away.
「I'll arrange the funeral once the case is solved. I plan to deliver only a lock of her hair to her hometown」
Ophelia spoke calmly, but her eyes shone with a determination to definitely find the murderer.
「The two of us will surely find the murderer!」
「Thank you, Leisha」
Leisha decided to work together with Ophelia to solve the case. Thus, together with Ophelia, she arrived at the apartment building where Irene had lived.
「Wow~, it's a splendid home, isn’t it~?」
When she had heard that it was an apartment building, she had expected something a little smaller, but it was so magnificent that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the apartment building in front of her was a palatial residence. It was also situated in a quiet high-class residential area. Every single one of the passers-by was dressed affluently.
「Songstresses make a lot of money, huh……」
「It’s because Irene was one of the best songstresses even in the imperial capital」
「Even so, it's very different from a typical apartment building, isn’t it?」
「It seems that it was a mansion originally. The owner, who is the current landlady, remodeled it into an apartment building. They say that this kind of thing is the trend these days」
「Hmm~」
「Come on, let's go greet the landlady first」
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There were four apartments in total inside the apartment building. Irene lived on the first floor. The landlady lived next to her. When they visited the landlady’s apartment and told her who they were, the landlady welcomed them in readily.
「Irene was a very nice person」
Evan, a classy elderly lady who was the owner of the apartment building, said.
「In the three years that she lived here as a tenant, she kept the apartment clean, and never caused any trouble. And yet, to think that she suffered acute heart failure…… We’ve lost a person who deserved better. When you hold the funeral, I would definitely like to attend」
「You were the first to discover Irene's body, right? Was there anything strange about her?」
When Ophelia asked, Evan immediately shook her head.
「No, there wasn’t anything. She was lying on the bed like she was asleep」
「What kind of position was she in? Did she have an expression of agony on her face?」
「No? She looked like she was sleeping peacefully」
Ophelia and Leisha looked at each other.
As they had thought, it didn’t seem to be heart failure. Even though her heart had stopped, she had died looking like she was sleeping without any pain? Was something like that possible?
No, it was impossible.
「Can I ask you some more questions?」
「Sure. Go ahead」
「Were there any suspicious people around Irene? She was a popular songstress. Did she have troublesome fans who became stalkers?」
「No? This apartment building has the latest security system installed. An alarm sounds when an outsider tries to enter the apartment building, so I would have known immediately if there was a stalker」
「I see. Earlier, you said that Irene never caused any trouble within the apartment building, but was there really nothing at all? It doesn’t matter how trivial it is, can you please tell me if there was anything?」
The landlady tilted her head wonderingly.
「Why are you concerned about something like that?」
「Irene was an important friend. That’s why I want to know everything about her. As I can no longer hear anything from her anymore……」
The excuse sounded forced, but she couldn’t say that she suspected that it was a murder. It would only cause unnecessary confusion if she said that. Because the military police had already determined that there was no foul play, there was a chance that Ophelia would be thought of as a crazy person if she wasn’t careful.
Fortunately, the landlady didn't seem to doubt her much.
「……It’s not what I would consider trouble, but I’ve seen the man living upstairs—Harris, invite Irene out to eat several times」
「Do you mean that he was persistently making advances on her?」
「I won’t go so far to say that…… But I think that all men are pushy one way or another, don’t you agree? Because of Irene’s line of work, she also seemed to know how to handle men, and didn’t seem to be bothered by it」
Just because Irene was good at handling men, it probably didn’t mean that she didn't feel any mental stress. To say nothing of the fact that the other party was a man who lived in the same apartment building. For the man as well, he might have a grudge against Irene because she had continued to reject his repeated advances.
Leisha opened her notebook and scribbled it down.
「Is there anything else?」
「Other than that…… Oh, that’s right. There was an incident where the woman who lives upstairs from Irene—Simone, caused a water leak. Because of that, Irene's apartment got flooded, and they had a bit of an argument at that time. However, Simone had immediately acknowledged that it was her fault, apologized and compensated Irene, and it didn’t look like they still had ill feelings towards each other」
It seemed that an incident like that was not considered to be trouble from the landlady’s perspective.
However, even if it looked like there weren’t any ill feelings between them on the surface, it was impossible to see inside their hearts. There was a good enough chance that the woman who had caused the water leak had unduly resented Irene. But then, it was hard to imagine that she would have decided to murder Irene for nothing more than that……
「That's about all I can remember. There shouldn’t be anything else」
「Understood. Thank you very much for talking to us. I want to take a look inside Irene's apartment, so can you lend me the key please?」
「Sure, that's fine, seeing as I’ve already confirmed your identity as her guarantor」
「That really helps. I’ll clean out the apartment at a later date, so please don’t worry about that」
「Alright. It was very nice meeting both of you」
The landlady smiled cheerfully and proffered the key hanging on the wall to Ophelia.
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As could be expected from the outward appearance of the apartment building, the inside of the apartment was also magnificent.
The layout of the apartment was 2LDK*. It was spacious and looked comfortable to live in. The apartment also got a lot of sunshine. It was the season where it was chilly outside, but it wasn’t cold at all inside. It was a really pleasant apartment.
「What about on your end, Ophelia?」
When Leisha asked while they were checking the room, Ophelia tilted her head.
「What do you mean?」
「I’m asking if you can think of anyone that Irene had run into trouble with, in other words, suspects」
「Hmm~, she was a person who didn't talk much about herself though. She was a very good girl, but even so, it was unlikely that she was liked by everyone…… According to what she said, it seems like I'm the only person she had ever invited into this apartment」
「I see……」
Leisha rummaged through the inside of the apartment together with Ophelia. It didn’t seem like it would be easy for them to find evidence linked to the murder. But there was something that she was a little curious about.
「Despite making a lot of money, Irene didn’t spend much, did she? The furniture and furnishings are nothing but things that you can find in ordinary homes. Like this chair, I have the same one in my room」
When Leisha spoke while pointing at a chair beside her, Ophelia gave a troubled smile.
「It’s because that girl has no desire for material things. She donated most of the money that she earned」
「Haa~, that's amazing. Wait, but the rent here is pretty high, isn’t it?」
「It’s because she was an ordinary girl. Like the landlady said, this apartment building has the latest security system installed. In addition, public security is good because it’s a high-class residential area. Even if an ordinary girl has no desire for material things, it’ll cost her money if she wants to ensure her own safety」
「I see…… To have their own safety under threat unless they spend money, ordinary girls have it rough too. Unlike me, who’s the kind of girl who can sleep outdoors without a care. It really helps because it’s economical」
「Ahaha, it's the same for me too. It isn’t something that’s worthy of praise though, is it?」
That’s true~, Leisha replied with a smile.
In the end, Irene’s murder was probably unpreventable. Even though she had lived in an apartment that had the latest security system installed, it was inevitable that the wisdom of people would be able to find a loophole.
Thus, Irene was murdered in a locked room. A method for doing that must definitely exist.
However, Leisha couldn't find anything suspicious inside the apartment. In any case, the only thing that bothered her was nothing more than a few empty spaces on a bookshelf packed full with books.
The inside of the apartment was neat and tidy. Irene probably had a very meticulous personality. Putting it negatively, she was likely a hypercritical person. Leisha thought that a woman with that personality would surely be bothered by the empty spaces on the bookshelf.
「What do you think, Ophelia?」
「Are you saying that they were stolen? Hmm~, I don't think that's it. Irene loved books, but she typically didn't hold on to the books that she had finished reading and would donate them to the library. That’s why the empty spaces are probably for new books. When I saw it previously, the spaces were in different places」
「Ohh~, she’s what they call a minimalist, right?」
Theft isn't the motive, Leisha added in her notebook.
「Fuwaaa~, even so, it’s warm, isn’t it~?」
Leisha yawned loudly. Naturally, the heating in the apartment was off because there was no one living in it at the moment. Even considering the sunny weather outside, it was strange that it was so warm.
「Why is this room so warm, I wonder?」
「Isn’t it because they used good insulating materials? Also, this apartment building has something like hot-water heating. By circulating warm water inside the walls and floor, it’s a form of heating that heats up the apartment as a whole. Won’t that be running all the time?」
「I see~. As expected from a high-class home」
Out of curiosity, Leisha tried touching the wall lightly. But it was cold. It didn’t seem to be heated by warm water.
「I wonder what the reason is then?」
Leisha looked around the apartment, but couldn't find any installations that led to an answer. However, a certain something near the ceiling caught her eye.
It was a vent that was used to maintain the air circulation inside the apartment. Because the air was currently circulating, it must be the type that operated throughout the day.
「Ophelia, it’s something that I though of, but in the case of murder by poisoning, I wonder if it’s poisonous gas that was used?」
Ophelia, who was examining the closet, stopped and looked back at Leisha.
「Did you find something?」
「No, that's not it. I was just thinking that even if the murderer couldn’t enter the apartment, the murderer could have committed the murder by pumping poisonous gas from the outside through this vent. Even if it was left alone, the poisonous gas would be exhausted by the vent and there would be no evidence left, right?」
「Well, I suppose it’s theoretically possible. Even if the vent has a valve to prevent back-flow, air from the outside can be pumped in if the pressure is strong enough. She was murdered at around 3 am, which is very late at night, so there is a good chance that the murderer wouldn’t have been noticed, even when working outside in this quiet residential area」
But, Ophelia added as she tilted her head.
「It's a poisonous gas that's powerful enough to kill a person without giving the victim time to suffer, right? If such a poisonous gas is exhausted outside, I think that there would definitely be other victims. Especially inside this apartment building」
「Ahh, that's certainly true……」
The poison that killed Irene was terrifyingly powerful, so inhaling even a small amount would be dangerous. Even if it didn’t result in death, anyone who inhaled it should have experienced symptoms such as severe headaches and dizziness.
However, judging from the elderly landlady who lived next to this apartment, something like that must not have happened. If it had, the landlady would probably be lying on a hospital bed right now.
「Hmm~, I think your idea isn’t bad though……」
「Previously, there was a charcoal-burning suicide in an apartment building near my lodgings, but the gas that was generated from the incomplete combustion—namely, carbon monoxide also seeped into the apartment upstairs, killing the residents there too. That means that carbon monoxide is lighter than air, right? Since the cause of those deaths seem to be because it rose to the floor above」
「So, carbon monoxide is an extremely powerful poisonous gas, huh……」
It can cause death if even the smallest amount is breathed in. On top of that, since it’s tasteless and odorless, even if it gets inhaled, it’s unnoticeable until the symptoms appear. Even though it’s such a heinous poisonous gas, it can be easily generated through incomplete combustion, which is probably why it has been called one of the death gods that are closest to people.
「Huh? But how did they know that the cause of death was the carbon monoxide from the lower floor?」
「It’s because the body will turn salmon pink if someone dies from carbon monoxide poisoning. I’m not an expert so I don’t know much in detail, but that seems to be because of a chemical reaction that occurs between carbon monoxide and blood」
「Oh, that’s right! I've seen that in a newspaper before!」
Convinced, Ophelia clapped her hands, but she held her head in her hands right after.
「Wait, we didn’t make any progress at all then……」
Leisha smiled bitterly, and then voiced another idea.
「If it’s not a poisonous gas, then is it a slow-acting poison?」
「A slow-acting poison, huh? The possibility of that is higher, isn’t it?」
「We should be thinking about existing poisons since no Skills were used in this murder, right? For instance, if a poison was refined using Skills by a Scout, that poison would also have magic power inside it. If you believe what that military policeman said, then no Skills were used」
「I suppose you’re right. Which of the existing poisons fits the best, I wonder? According to that military policeman, Irene arrived home at 3 am, and then died three hours later at 6 am. In other words, from the time the poison was ingested, it took at least three hours to result in death」
「This is something that I learned from a detective novel, but――」
After a lead-in remark, Leisha continued.
「It appears that if wolfsbane poison and puffer fish poison are ingested at the same time, symptoms won’t appear right away as they will counteract each other inside the body. However, the balance between them will collapse over time, and the poisons will spread inside the body. Both wolfsbane poison and puffer fish poison are the type of poison that's difficult to detect. Moreover, because wolfsbane poison is originally a poison that takes effect immediately, that makes it more difficult for it to be identified based on the time of death」
「Huh, isn't that the answer?」
Ophelia’s eyes shone as if she had seen the light, but Leisha shook her head.
「It’s said that there's a trick to using multiple poisons like that. It's also hard to think that Irene died from wolfsbane poison. If it really was wolfsbane poison, she would have suffered considerably before she died」
「I see……. In that case, it seems that it’ll be faster to search for suspects and gather evidence on them, rather than trying to identify the poison after all」
「I think so too」
It was when Leisha nodded. Out of the blue, there was a knock on the door of the apartment.
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「I heard from the old landlady. She said that the two of you are friends of Irene? I'm Harris, who lives diagonally upstairs from her. It happened so suddenly, so I feel sad as well」
A late-middle aged man who was dressed in a stereotypical nouveau riche manner—Harris, said without showing much sadness.
「So, how can I help you?」
When Ophelia asked, Harris smiled frivolously.
「Well, I was on good terms with Irene, so I thought that I should come and say hello. Call me too, when the funeral is held」
「……On good terms, you said? According to the landlady, Irene seems to have declined all of your invitations, am I right?」
Harris shrugged his shoulders at Ophelia's pointed way of speaking.
「Sure, she always refused, but that's also a form of communication. Besides, it seemed from the atmosphere between us that she was about to accept my invitation, you know?」
「Haaa……」
Ophelia seemed to be thoroughly disgusted by Harris' egoistical words. Intense revulsion for Harris sprang up inside Leisha too.
I hate this man, Leisha said in her heart.
「Besides, I was the one who mediated when Irene and Simone had an argument, you know!? If I had left it to the old landlady, it would have become a big fight」
Simone was the woman who lived upstairs from Irene. They had heard from the landlady that she and Irene had an argument before.
「Was it because of Simone's water leak, I wonder?」
「Yes, that’s right. That girl is a culinary researcher. The water leak was due to a clogged drain. Even the usually good-natured Irene was absolutely livid at the time. Hahaha, it’s a funny story now that I look back on it」
「I see, hahaha」
Ophelia laughed along dryly with an expressionless face. With an effort, Leisha endured the urge to beat Harris up. Ophelia was putting up with it, so it wasn’t Leisha’s place to punch him.
「Oops, it's almost time. I have an important job after this. I’m sorry, you two. Let's go on a date or something when I'm free. Goodbye then!」
With a cheesy wink, Harris left. Even after he could no longer be seen, Ophelia remained silent and expressionless.
「……Ophelia, are you okay?」
「Yeah, I’m okay. No problem」
Ophelia nodded slightly, and without a pause, headed out of the apartment briskly.
「Leisha, let's go talk to Simone from upstairs」
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They knocked on the door of Simone's apartment, but there was no reply. Beside Leisha, who was wondering if they should come back another time, Ophelia continued to bang on the door violently.
「Simone, you’re inside, aren't you? I need to have a word with you, so can you open the door? Simone, you’re inside, right?」
In contrast to the violent knocking, she was speaking in a monotone and her face had remained expressionless.
Even for Leisha, who had known her for a long time, the current Ophelia was frightening. It felt like she was holding a bomb and she didn’t know when it was going to explode.
Eventually, footsteps could be heard coming closer from the inside the apartment.
「Hey! For how long do you intend to knock!?」
The person who opened the door while shouting angrily was a young woman who wore glasses. Her hair disheveled, she looked like she had been awakened from her sleep, and she didn't try to hide her displeasure.
There was a used fire extinguisher with its safety pin removed in the interior of the apartment that could be seen through the opened door. Let alone causing a water leak, it seemed that she had somehow caused a fire as well.
It's no wonder Irene flipped out, Leisha thought.
「Are you Simone?」
Ophelia asked in a detached tone.
「That's right! And who are you guys!?」
「We’re Irene’s friends」
「Oh……」
When Ophelia answered, Simone looked embarrassed.
「You know that Irene died, right?」
「Huh, yeah…… She had acute heart failure, right? My condolences……」
「Actually she died from poison, not acute heart failure」
「Huh, poison!?」
It was natural, but Simone’s eyes widened in shock. And Leisha was just as shocked as she was. She wondered what Ophelia was planning by saying that it was a poisoning despite not having even a shred of evidence to prove it.
「Irene was murdered. There is no mistaking it」
「……Is that true? The military police said that there was no foul play, right?」
「The results of the dissection performed made it clear that it was a poisoning」
Ophelia spoke definitively, but Simone looked doubtful.
「If what you say is the truth, then shouldn’t the first ones to come talk to me be the military police, and not you guys? Come on, that smells like a lie~」
「The dissection was performed by a specialist that I hired」
「In other words, you’re conducting a private investigation?」
「Yes, because I can't count on the incompetent military police」
「Hmmm~」
Simone still had a look of suspicion in her eyes. Leisha couldn’t stop the cold sweat from pouring down her back. If Simone concluded that Ophelia was lying, she would probably report her to the military police right away. If that happened, Ophelia would surely be arrested.
However, Simone didn’t raise her voice and make a fuss. Unexpectedly, she smiled.
「You care a lot about your friend, don’t you? I don't hate that kind of thing. But the fact that you came to talk to me means that you suspect me, am I right? That’s not a pleasant feeling, you know~?」
「I don’t suspect you. I merely want to ask you a few questions」
「That’s definitely a lie. From the way things are looking, I'm guessing that you’ve heard about my argument with Irene from the landlady or that perverted old man, Harris. Consequently, you’re thinking that I resented her for that, am I right?」
Ophelia kept her mouth shut. By deliberately not saying anything, she intended to let Simone talk.
「But I'm not the culprit. Sure, I had an argument with Irene, but I won’t kill over something like that. If my temper is as short as that, there would already be no one left in my workplace, you know? ......If it really is a poisoning, then the culprit is the landlady」
「The landlady?」
Simone nodded, brimming with confidence.
「I mean, the landlady can use the master key to enter everyone's apartment, right? She’ll even be free to poison anyone she wishes. It’ll be easy for her to hoodwink the military police as well」
「But what’s her motive?」
「The landlady's dead husband」
Simone said in a soft voice.
「One year ago, the landlady's husband died. The cause of death was a fall in the bathroom. But I suspect he had been murdered by the landlady. Why? Because that guy was always making advances on Irene. It’s certain that the landlady, who felt jealous because of that, murdered him. Well, after her husband, it was Irene」
Leisha widened her eyes in astonishment. The landlady, Evan, didn't look at all like the kind of person who would commit murder. That was why that idea had never crossed her mind.
However, it was certainly as Simone had said. If Evan, the landlady, was the murderer, it would explain everything. The motive too—what she said was plausible.
「Can you prove it?」
When Ophelia asked quietly, Simone shook her head.
「I can’t. If I could, I would have reported it to the military police already」
†
†
After they had finished questioning Simone, Leisha and Ophelia left the apartment building.
「Aren’t you going to investigate the landlady?」
When Leisha asked, Ophelia shook her head.
「That landlady doesn’t strike me as someone who is capable of murdering people」
「Well, with regards to that, I also feel the same way, but……」
What Simone said did sound plausible, but all the same, Leisha didn't think that the landlady had murdered Irene. Simone’s theory that the landlady had murdered her husband was probably just a delusion.
「What about Simone and Harris?」
「I don’t know……. It’s true that Simone had a disagreement with Irene, but that isn’t a strong enough motive to commit murder. Those two are certainly annoying people. Especially Harris. But I didn't get the sense that they had the wickedness of someone who could kill others for no good reason」
「I think so too. So, what’s next?」
「I'm going to the bar where Irene worked」
Leisha nodded, and then headed downtown with Ophelia.
『Moon River』, the bar where Irene worked, was a famous high-class store even in the imperial capital. The first floor was a restaurant for enjoying food and drinks, and the second floor was a nightclub.
When Ophelia told an employee, who was preparing the store to open, that she wanted to talk about Irene, the manager, Lestrade, came to talk to her personally.
Lestrade, an elderly man in a tailcoat, started to speak blandly.
「I know why the two of you are here. I’ve already heard the news of Irene's death. You suspect that Irene was murdered, am I right?」
At Lestrade’s words, blood drained from Ophelia’s face.
「Do you know something!?」
However, Lestrade shook his head, looking depressed.
「No, I don't know anything. When I heard the news of Irene’s death from my underling who had gone to pick her up, my first thought was also that it was a murder. She was this store’s number one, you see? So I wondered if she had been murdered by a rival store to interfere with our business. But no matter how much I investigated, there was nothing suspicious」
「Is that something that you can find out in such a short time? Didn’t she die just the day before yesterday?」
「It can be done. If Irene was murdered by someone, then that person is undoubtedly a pro. I know the modus operandi(M.O.), so all I had to do was to investigate based on that information. But I didn’t find anything」
Certainly, for someone who had committed such an ingenious murder, the chances were good that the murderer had killed someone else using the same M.O. in the past. Leisha didn’t know the extent of Lestrade’s own information network, but the store’s Yakuza fixer should be able to quickly find out if anyone fit the bill
「That’s why I had no choice but to accept that Irene had a heart failure. It's a rare case, but it's not like it’s absolutely impossible」
「……We still don’t know for sure that that’s what happened. Please tell me about everyone who had a grudge against her. Please」
Ophelia couldn’t accept it. Lestrade sighed.
「I know how you feel, but the two of you should give up too. No matter how painful or sad it is, there are things that you just have to accept」
「You’re wrong! It was a murder!!!」
It was when Ophelia shouted in grief.
「It’s so noisy, what’s all this fuss about?」
It was a displeased-sounding voice of a woman. When everyone turned to look, they saw a young woman in a flashy dress standing there. She was accompanied by two brawny men who seemed to be her bodyguards, and was holding a basket of flowers in her hands.
「Priscilla!? What are you doing in this store!?」
Lestrade was surprised. It seemed like they knew each other.
「Who is that person?」
When Leisha asked in a whisper, Lestrade frowned.
「......Priscilla is a contemporary of Irene, and the previous number one. Since she left this store, she has been enjoying success as the number one of a rival store」
「Huh, that's……」
Lestrade didn't spell it out, but sounded like Priscilla was closely connected with Irene. Judging from Lestrade’s choice of words, it appeared that she had run away to a rival store when she had dropped in rank after losing in popularity to Irene.
Ophelia seemed to have understood the meaning behind Lestrade’s words as well. The look in her eyes naturally turned grim.
「From what I’ve heard, Irene seems to have passed away」
Priscilla said, with no emotion. Then she placed the basket of flowers on a nearby table.
「I think that it’ll be tough for you since your number one passed away, but please do your best without losing heart. These flowers are an offering from me. Normally, the custom is to send it to the deceased's home, but since she was single, I’ll leave them with Manager Lestrade, alright?」
「……Did you come all this way just to do that?」
When asked by Lestrade, Priscilla smiled coldly.
「Dear me, by any chance, are you thinking that I came here to ask you to let me return to this store because Irene passed away? If that’s the case, you’re badly mistaken. I refuse to have anything to do with a store that props up the likes of demi-humans as its number one. No matter how much money you offer me, you hear?」
「Wh what did you say!?」
It was a horribly discriminatory remark. Leisha knitted her brows, but thought otherwise about protesting what she had said. Elves were a minority in this human city. Racists like Priscilla weren’t uncommon. Leisha knew that there was nothing to be gained even if she protested.
「Please don’t get angry. It's just a joke. However, it’s also true that the recent Moon River hasn’t been as lively as it was before. If you don’t deal with this immediately, your regulars will go to other stores, you know?」
「Urghh……」
Lestrade ground his teeth in frustration. In contrast, Priscilla had a satisfied smile on her face. It seemed that she had resented her drop in rank a great deal.
The ranking of the songstresses in a nightclub wasn’t only determined by the songstress’ popularity with the customers, but also involved calculations like who the store wanted to promote. By becoming the number one, the songstress’ income would certainly be higher, and the response she got on stage would also be better, so it would be unnatural to not be particular about it.
Considering that she was welcomed at the rival store as the number one, her ability itself should be the same as Irene’s. It might be understandable for her to bear a grudge against the manager who chose Irene over herself, even if it was unjustified.
「Alright then, I’ve finished what I came here to do, so goodbye」
Priscilla turned on her heel. Ophelia called out sharply towards her back.
「Wait!」
Priscilla turned back and tilted her head.
「What do you want with me? In the first place, who are you?」
「I’m Irene's friend」
「Oh, is that so? Now that I’ve taken a closer look, you’re also an elf, aren’t you? I hadn’t noticed that at all as I had no interest in you. Well, what do you want?」
Ophelia quietly asked Priscilla, who was thoroughly disinterested.
「Did you kill Irene?」
Everyone who heard those words, including Leisha, was dumbstruck.
No matter the circumstances, suddenly asking someone if they were a murderer was going too far. She had clearly overstepped her bounds. Far from breaking out in a cold sweat, Leisha knew that the blood had drained from her face in an instant.
「……You’re the one who killed Irene, right?」
Ophelia questioned her with an assertive tone. However, Priscilla didn't show any signs of panic, and laughed contemptuously.
「Ahahaha, I was wondering what you were going to say! You said that I’m the one who killed Irene? There’s no way that’s true, isn’t it!? In the first place, I heard that Irene died of heart failure!」
「Irene’s death wasn’t from heart failure. Someone murdered her. And you’re the one who planned the murder, right? You have motive. It was an eyesore, wasn’t it? Seeing Irene, who had kicked you down, continue to shine in your old place of work. Even after you went to a rival store, you couldn’t help but be conscious of it. So you killed her. With Irene gone, even more customers will flock to your store, so you’re killing two birds with one stone, aren’t you? It seems like something a weak person like you, who escaped to another store because you were no match for Irene in terms of ability, would think of」
Ophelia was blaming Priscilla with great eloquence. Priscilla was so furious at being slandered one-sidedly that veins were popping out on her forehead, but she immediately regained her composure and smiled.
「When you take your delusions that far, it becomes worthy of praise, doesn’t it? But even if you go so far, delusions are delusions. Do you have proof that I killed Irene?」
「If it's proof you want, then I'll find it right away」
「I don't think that an inept detective like you, who arbitrarily decides that someone is the culprit without any proof, is capable of uncovering the truth. So let me give you a hint. If I were you, I would thoroughly investigate Manager Lestrade before anything else. Did you know? Irene had a sizable life insurance policy on her life. And the beneficiary is Manager Lestrade」
The moment Leisha heard those words, her head snapped back to look at Lestrade.
「Sh, she’s mistaken! It's a misunderstanding! I didn't kill Irene!」
Lestrade went as white as a sheet and denied it.
「Cer, certainly, I’m the beneficiary! But I had promised Irene that the money I received would be given to her parents in her hometown! That’s why I’m not the one who killed Irene!」
「That's a lie, isn’t it?」
Priscilla asserted joyfully.
「If you really intended to give the life insurance money to Irene's parents, why didn’t you say anything about the life insurance policy to these girls? From what I can tell, these girls didn’t know about it until I told them, right?」
「Th, that is……」
「Manager Lestrade, everyone knows that you’re pressed for money, you know? Did you plot to murder Irene for the life insurance money?」
Lestrade desperately claimed his innocence. Seeing him in that state, Priscilla roared with laughter.
「Ahahahahahaha! Here, take a long, hard look! Who is the most suspicious person here? Is it me? Or is it Manager Lestrade? Answer me, great detective!」
「Urghhh……」
At Priscilla’s provocation, Ophelia bit her lip and looked down.
「To begin with, the death of just one demi-human isn’t a problem, is it? Exactly who in the imperial capital will be troubled by that? It's just one worthless life」
As Priscilla was brazenly speaking her mind, Ophelia had already raised her fist. The distance between them was about 5 meters. Ophelia would probably be able to punch Priscilla's face in before her bodyguards could move.
There was no need to imagine what the result would be.
That was why Leisha――
「Fugyaaa!!!」
Stepped in between the two of them and, in Priscilla’s place, took Ophelia’s punch in the face……
†
†
「I’m sorry, Leisha! I’m really sorry!」
Ophelia faced Leisha and bowed repeatedly as she apologized.
Priscilla hadn't pursued the matter of the attempted assault in Moon River because Leisha had put her body on the line to stop it. If she had reported it to the military police, Ophelia and Leisha would likely be thrown in jail together.
Leisha was currently getting her injury treated in Moon River’s infirmary. Leisha’s right eye was swollen shut, and she looked just like a zombie.
「……Haaa, you don't have to keep on apologizing like that. An injury of this level will heal right away. Please don't worry about it anymore」
Leisha was a Seeker before she was a woman. It was sad that her face had become like a zombie’s, but she wasn’t so soft that she would get hung up on it forever. Enduring the pain, she put on an eyepatch and faced Ophelia.
「I forgive you for hitting me. But please don't do absurd things like that again, alright? I don't want to be arrested by the military police」
「Al, alright……. I won’t cause trouble for you again, Leisha. I promise」
Ophelia nodded meekly, but Leisha thought to herself that she didn’t really trust her word.
Ophelia likely wasn’t fool enough to repeat the same mistake when Leisha was with her, but Leisha wouldn’t put it past her to do it again when she was alone. The current Ophelia’s heart was completely worn out by the death of her friend. Leisha wouldn’t put anything past her at this point.
「What will you do after this? For the time being, we’ve narrowed down the suspects, but they must be on guard because of today’s events, right? Even if we investigate, I think that it’ll be difficult」
「In that case, I suppose I’ll have to investigate them thoroughly and wait for the murderer to slip up. Of, of course, I won't do absurd things like today!」
「Haaa, I’ll take your word for it」
Nonetheless, their options were certainly limited. They still had no idea how the locked-room murder was committed. There wasn’t anything that they could do other than to investigate the suspects thoroughly and chip away at the mystery relentlessly.
「By the way, who do you think is the culprit?」
「Priscilla」
Ophelia said, with a voice that was full of conviction.
「She is definitely the culprit」
「Understood. In that case, let's focus the investigation on Priscilla」
Leisha was also thinking that Priscilla looked the most suspicious. Lestrade also seemed suspicious, but there were many things about Priscilla's attitude that bothered her. Since they couldn’t solve the mystery of the locked-room murder, narrowing down their target and focusing on Priscilla wasn’t a bad idea.
But what if Priscilla wasn't the culprit? No, even supposing that Priscilla was the murderer, what if they couldn’t find any proof?
Leisha got a headache just by thinking about it.
The only thing Leisha could see in front of her was a thick impenetrable darkness……
†
†
The next day, Leisha concluded that it would be difficult to solve the mystery with just the two of them, so she decided to rely on Gareth, the smartest person among her friends.
She waited for him at an open cafe, and when Gareth arrived, she opened her notebook and told him the details of the case. After much deliberation, Gareth raised both hands, and said.
「It’s no use, I can't make heads or tails of it. I give up」
Leisha went limp and put her head on the table.
「I see~. Even Gareth can’t figure it out, huh~……」
「As a Healer, I have a bit of medical knowledge, so I think that what you though is correct. It’s certainly unnatural for Irene to die of heart failure. The possibility that it's a murder is high. But I have absolutely no idea how it was committed」
I’m sorry, Gareth apologized.
「Oh, don't apologize! I'm the one who is sorry for bothering you!」
「……It may be a little weird for me to say something like this, but――」
Gareth paused for a moment, and then continued with a solemn expression.
「You shouldn’t involve yourself in this case anymore」
「……Huh?」
「Even if you strain yourself to pursue something that you aren’t well-versed in, you’ll only continue to wander around in a labyrinth with no exit. Even if you thoroughly investigate everything about the suspects, you’ll probably be unable to find any proof that they committed the murder」
「……Are you saying that I should give up?」
Gareth heaved a deep sigh, and then nodded.
「That's right. You should give up」
「B, but……」
「What are you, Leisha? A military policewoman? A detective like the ones who appear in novels? No, you’re just a Seeker. Your abilities as a Seeker are outstanding, and I’m proud to have you as my ally. But this case is clearly beyond you. It’s impossible for you to solve it using your abilities. The same is true for Ophelia of Sky Winged Knights」
Leisha couldn't find the words to respond. Gareth had hardened his heart in an attempt to remind Leisha of her line of work. And in all likelihood, as Gareth had said, it was probably impossible for Leisha and Ophelia to solve this case.
In other words, it was all a waste of time……
「I’m leaving now. Leisha, don't forget what the most important thing is」
Even after Gareth had left, the gloomy darkness continued to spread inside her heart.
Certainly, it might be time to give up. But, leaving herself aside, would Ophelia give up? ......No, she would probably never give up. She would continue the investigation even if she was alone, and she would destroy herself for certain.
「What should I do……」
After all was said and done, the only way for her to save her important sister was to solve the case.
Isn't there anyone who has better powers of deduction?
Just when Leisha was thinking that, she caught sight of a familiar face out of the corner of her eye.
「Th, there’s one!!!」
Inadvertently shouting that out loud, Leisha knocked her chair over as she shot to her feet. Right in front of her eyes, a black-haired beautiful-looking young man in a black coat was walking by.
It was Noel Stollen, member of Blue Beyond.
「If it’s him, maybe……」
She remembered the events of the day she had met him for the first time. With his powers of deduction, Noel had easily seen through Leisha’s identity. His personality was certainly problematic, but to Leisha’s knowledge, his intelligence was second to none.
「N, Noel! Wait a minute!!! Hey, wait!!!」
Leisha desperately called for Noel to stop. Leisha didn’t know if he would help her. However, the current Leisha’s mental state was such that she would even grasp at straws……
*The 2 in 2LDK means there are 2 bedrooms, while the L, D and K, means that there is a living room, dining room, and kitchen respectively. If the layout doesn’t have L, D and K, then they put R to indicate bedroom. For example, 1R is a studio apartment with nothing but a bedroom, whereas 1K would mean that there is a kitchen included. It’s a very convenient system for Japan, where they get creative with the layout of the apartments because of their space constraints.
It’s a quaint little whodunit, which is a great change of pace in a side story, in my opinion. I wish it didn’t have to be one humongous chapter like this though lol. But I wanted to respect the author’s wishes, so here we are.
Ophelia sure has a temper problem, doesn’t she? In the future(since this is a prequel), that temper is also what made her fall into Noel’s trap. Well, it’s her just desserts for punching Leisha, even if it wasn’t intentional. I think it’s the third time I’ve said this, but Leisha x Noel!
The author very kindly eliminated Skills from the equation, so no weird out-of-left-field stuff can occur. As a result, this whodunnit can be solved purely using the details provided in this chapter, some knowledge from the real world and a general knowledge of Noel’s world, so I encourage everyone to give deducing the mystery a shot. Like the author said, please feel free to comment your deductions on the culprit, motive or method in the comments section, and let’s have some fun with it. He went through the trouble of doing a temporary genre change, so we might as well enjoy it. ( ◠‿◠ )
If you don't read whodunnits much, the trick is to find the inconsistencies in the facts, like illogical actions or words. Once you do, you'll find that it leads to more inconsistencies and eventually, you'll have the answer!
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