Homicide by Car

Raellan leaned his upper body back, crossing one leg over the other.

,Let’s delve into the lesson a bit more deeply.”

For some reason, Eunice, recalling the times she had the most fun in class, licked her lips and nodded.

,First, under the assumption that the Order didn’t kill Luna, explain the reason with plausibility.”

Instantly, Eunice’s eyes widened. Taken aback for a moment by the completely unexpected question, Eunice pondered carefully.

Her heart pounded. Eunice was even more nervous than during the interview with the faculty when she participated in the triathlon.

The sound of Raellan tapping the table with his fingertips echoed in the basement space. Eunice, fidgeting with her fingers, finally answered.

,As I said before, the Order gains the most by kidnapping Luna. Simply killing Luna would only instill Ross’s anger towards the Order, not give the Order any advantage to exploit the situation. Even if there’s no need to keep her alive, considering Luna’s body was still in the carriage, the Order has even less reason to kill her.”

Eunice finished her story. Raellan, as if waiting for an evaluation, looked at Eunice with a sidelong glance and asked.

,Is that all?”

,…Huh?”

Seeing Eunice blinking, Raellan sighed and said.

,Didn’t you consider that the Order might be speculating that Ross is His apostle? Jamie’s attack is also highly likely to be related to the Order’s apostle. So why didn’t you mention that it would be more plausible for the Order to attack Ross, not Luna?”

,…Ah!”

Thinking about it belatedly, it was an issue that should have been mentioned. Moreover, Luna is the daughter of a great noble family in the East, close to the Order’s city. Unless the Order is going to wage an all-out war with the entire continent, there’s no reason to kill Luna.

,And seeing as you don’t mention the definite evidence that should have remained if the culprit who attacked the carriage was really the Order, I guess you haven’t even thought about it.”

,….”

Eunice felt a pressure as if something invisible was weighing down on her chest. She felt inferior due to the clear difference in skill between Raellan and herself.

Taking a moment to catch her breath and suppressing her inferiority by acknowledging her shortcomings, Eunice asked, emulating the polite demeanor she used when questioning professors at the academy.

,Are you talking about traces of chaos or magic left in the carriage as evidence…?”

Eunice cautiously threw out the question, and upon seeing Raellan looking at her with a cold gaze, she swallowed hard without realizing it. Raellan, who had been observing her flaws as if coldly inspecting a product, snapped his fingers as if he had finally realized something.

,I understand your problem now.”

Raellan, twisting one corner of his mouth, said.

,You’re trying to see the situation too broadly. Is the title of strategist, which reads the game, forcing you to have a wide perspective?”

Eunice felt her face flush with embarrassment, as if her weakness had been exposed. Raellan’s words had accurately pinpointed Eunice’s problem. In a situation where experience couldn’t keep up, her attempt to see the big picture was becoming a habit of simplifying the details.

,It’s a strategist’s job to not miss even the smallest things and use them. You must correct that bad habit.”

,…Yes.”

Eunice, answering with a voice tinged with resignation, lowered her head powerlessly. Raellan, watching Eunice, placed his hand on his knee and said.

,Like when you’re reading the game, think about the question I threw at you in reverse. Then you’ll be able to grasp the intention of the question.”

At Raellan’s advice, Eunice bit her nails and thought. Definite evidence that the Order would have left behind… To know that, she had to go back to the first question. Reversing the assumption that the Order didn’t kill Luna, what if the Order did kill Luna…?

Recalling memories related to Luna and the Order, Eunice pondered, muttering to herself without realizing it.

,…Compass.”

Raising her quietly lowered gaze and looking at Raellan, Eunice trembled slightly at the electrifying shiver that rose from her lower abdomen.

,Was the compass still on Luna’s body?”

There are countless reasons why the Order might not kill Luna, but even if the Order really killed Luna for some unknown reason… there was no reason not to recover the compass that Luna was wearing on her waist.

Eunice got goosebumps. Could it be that Raellan had thought that far and even checked Luna’s belongings? None of her colleagues had thought to check Luna’s belongings. Because they naturally thought the culprit was the Order.

To Eunice, who was sending a questioning gaze, Raellan shrugged as if it were obvious and took out a compass from his pocket.

,How did you…?”

,A compass is useless to a dead person. When I said it was evidence to find the culprit, they easily gave it to me.”

The compass in Raellan’s hand was spinning continuously without stopping.

,No one would miss a broken compass that can be found anywhere.”

Raellan, closing the compass, looked at Eunice. Seeing Raellan’s gaze as if he was expecting something, Eunice snapped out of it and worked her brain hard.

Finally, Eunice, recalling the most valuable thing Luna had, shouted.

,…Fountain pen!”

As if the expected answer was correct, Raellan slightly raised his eyebrows.

,You used the Fountain Pen of the Gods when you killed the Immortal, so Luna must have had it. Did you recover that too?”

,No, the Fountain Pen of the Gods has disappeared. Along with the case it was in.”

,…!”

Eunice’s eyes widened. She realized what Raellan meant. The compass is what the Order was after. Since they naturally know information about the compass, the fact that it didn’t disappear is evidence that the attacker is not related to the Order.

Then what does it mean that the Fountain Pen of the Gods has disappeared? The Order doesn’t know that Luna has the Fountain Pen of the Gods. Even if they happened to find out, it’s implausible to leave the compass and only take the fountain pen.

The body and compass are intact, only the Fountain Pen of the Gods has disappeared. Then the culprit must be someone who knows that Luna has the Fountain Pen of the Gods. That fact is a strict secret, and the number of people who know it is very small.

The only people who know that Luna has the Fountain Pen of the Gods are those who share Ross’s memories…

,Is the culprit who killed Luna among us?”

At Eunice’s question, Raellan stretched his lips into a long smile. Eunice trembled without realizing it at the faint madness contained in that smile.

,So who do you think it is?”

At Raellan’s question, Eunice, realizing that her guess was correct, groaned. The person who has a reason to kill Luna… In that moment, Eunice and Raellan’s gazes intertwined in the air.

Eunice had finally discovered the traces that remained deeply in this plan. The person who can benefit from Luna’s death. There aren’t many people who know of the existence of the Fountain Pen of the Gods and have the ability to gain much with one scheme.

Eunice muttered in a trembling voice.

,…Bella.”

Finally, Eunice’s eyes began to see the game that had been secretly hidden in the darkness. At least she had seen through a part of it.

,You’re a strategist who’s good at reading the game and calculating moves, I’m a strategist who prefers to break the game itself and respond with variables. And Bella is a strategist with the ability to meticulously plan everything and gain a lot.”

Raellan clapped lightly. Raellan asked Eunice, who flinched at the sound.

,I’ll ask you again. How do you evaluate the current situation?”

At Raellan’s question, Eunice unconsciously stroked her goosebump-covered arm.

,It’s not the worst.”

Raellan smiled. But Eunice couldn’t smile along. Raellan would never understand how much this plan made Eunice feel her shortcomings and how afraid it made her.

,This situation started with the death of just one person. Luna’s death has further increased our anger towards the Order, and from trying to passively observe the situation, we’ve become in a position where we have to get our hands on the Holy Grail no matter what.”

Raellan continued his explanation as if he was enjoying it.

,Ross no longer hesitates and doesn’t look back. His blind purpose has become to break through the labyrinth and obtain the Holy Grail only for the sake of his loved one. According to whose intentions.”

Eunice felt a sense of suffocation as if she couldn’t breathe. She realized what Raellan’s intention was.

,…Because she can use Ross, who is trying to revive Luna, to stop Roel’s plan to save everyone using the Holy Grail instead of the dead Immortal.”

Eunice belatedly realized that her hands were trembling like crazy. Bella is someone who can do anything for Roel. If it’s for Roel, Bella is someone who would kill Luna without batting an eye.

,…With Luna’s death, she got everything she wanted.”

Raellan burst into wild laughter at Eunice’s quiet murmur.

,Everyone’s bodies are on fire. Now we have no choice but to run until the fire goes out. Even if our flesh and muscles melt and we bleed, we can’t stop! Keuheuhe.”

This situation is by no means the worst. No, it’s close to the best, as Raellan said. If things go according to Bella’s plan… Ross can stop Roel, who is trying to use the Holy Grail, and the dead Luna can be revived through the Holy Grail.

A scheme that uses even people’s lives as pieces.

In that moment, Eunice felt nauseous. She realized how great the two strategists were, how lacking she was compared to them… and how dangerous the two of them were.

,What’s even more interesting is that this isn’t the end.”

Raellan grinned at Eunice, who was questioning.