Magician in Type-Moon

Page 654

"...Lady Tiadera...she...she hopes...to 'escape'."

"Varied……!"

This statement was like throwing an ice cube into a silent pot of boiling oil, instantly causing a violent explosion!

Aside from Karina herself, who spoke frankly, and Setra, whose smile deepened as if she had expected it, everyone in the room was thrown into an uncontrollable commotion by that short but earth-shattering statement.

The previous silence was broken by gasps of shock, incredulous whispers, and rustling sounds as eyes instantly focused on Matou Ike.

“Sister Karina…why…” another maid—her twin sister—uttered a soft voice, tinged with confusion and a hint of panic.

“Regina.” The maid who had spoken first called out the other twin’s name softly, as if signaling her not to ask any more questions, her voice trembling in the same way.

Karina and Regina – it seems their names have been confirmed.

But at this moment, the name is no longer important. In any case, those words were too fatal.

The word "escape," uttered by the Golden Princess's personal maid, directly confirmed the core content of last night's secret conversation, instantly placing Matou Ike in an extremely unfavorable position—

He became the last person to see the living Golden Princess and discuss the plan to "betray" the family with her.

Amidst the uproar, Baron Baljereta Izeruma seemed to have finally found an outlet to divert his immense grief, or rather, a "clue" he had to grasp.

His violently heaving chest calmed down slightly, and the look of collapse on his face was replaced by a scrutiny that was a mixture of shock, anger, and extreme coldness.

He glanced at Matouike with feigned concern, his voice hoarse from emotion, but he deliberately raised his voice:

"...This...is simply impossible to ignore." He set the tone first, then directly and precisely pointed the finger at Matou Ike:

"I hope you can explain what's going on, Lord Matou."

Of course, it's impossible that he only found out now. Given his control over the Twin Towers and the possible surveillance last night, he most likely already knew about the meeting between the Golden Princess and Matou Ike.

The fact that he so accurately and quickly pointed the finger at Matouike means that, at least after the case was exposed—

In the short period between learning of the Golden Princess's death and rushing here, he had somehow grasped the general situation and might even have already listed Matouchi as the prime suspect in his mind.

The questioning at this moment is merely a formality, an attempt to occupy the moral and interrogation high ground in front of everyone.

All eyes—suspicious, scrutinizing, curious, and cold—were focused on Matou Ike.

Faced with this sudden escalation of accusations and pressure, Matou Ike's reaction was surprisingly calm. He didn't even look at Byakuya's almost piercing gaze, but merely shrugged very slightly, his movements carrying an almost detached indifference, as if the other party was only asking about a trivial matter.

Then, in a clear and steady tone, he gave a response that surprised many:

“Indeed…” he readily admitted, “Last night, Miss Tiadera did discuss with me…about the matter of ‘escape’.”

He admitted it outright! Without the slightest explanation or attempt to evade the issue!

In the room filled with the heavy stench of blood and the chilling power of magic, Byron stepped forward.

His body, which had been slightly hunched over with grief and anger, straightened up a bit, and the arm holding his cane stopped trembling.

“Anyway,” he began, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

“It seems… that it is necessary to ‘investigate’ you thoroughly, Lord Matou.”

The pressure, like a real mountain, crashed down on Matou Pond.

However, Matou Ike's reaction once again surprised everyone. He showed no fear or resistance whatsoever; instead, he nodded as if he had heard a reasonable suggestion, his tone even appearing relaxed.

“Yes.” He seemed to completely agree with the decision.

But then, he abruptly changed the subject, making a request that seemed extremely abrupt and even absurd in such a bloody scene:

“However, before conducting any ‘investigation’,” he said, slightly raising his chin, his posture as elegant as if he were not at a crime scene but in a high-class club salon.

“I expect to be treated with ‘politeness’ befitting my status.” He emphasized the word “politeness” as if to remind the other party of the etiquette among nobles.

Then, he gave astonishingly specific details:

“I’m particularly picky about breakfast – after such an unpleasant experience, I can only drink truly ‘delicious’ black tea with ‘tasty’ freshly baked scones. Preferably the kind with raisins, and the cream and strawberry jam have to be the freshest.”

He paused, a sly, chilling smile appearing on his face, before adding a final, threatening sentence:

"—Otherwise, I'm afraid my precious idea of ​​'offering special assistance' would be ruined." He directly linked "assistance" with "breakfast treatment," as if it were a fair transaction rather than a one-sided interrogation.

These remarks left the other magicians present looking on in astonishment. Talking about scones and jam at the bedside where the Golden Princess died tragically? This irrational calm (or rather, madness) brought a chilling sense of oppression.

Byron's brows furrowed tightly, his eyes blazing with fury, but he forcibly suppressed it. He forced out the question through clenched teeth:

"Assistance? How do you plan to do that?" He wanted to see what other tricks this mysterious Eastern man could pull.

“Hmm, that goes without saying.” Matou Ike deliberately responded in a joking tone, his lightheartedness clashing with the surrounding environment. However, what he said next made everyone gasp:

He raised his hand, his fingers lightly tracing the air, as if outlining the killer's silhouette in the void, but his gaze sharply swept over everyone in the room, finally settling on Byron's face:

"of course--"

“I’ll find the ‘murderer’ for you to see, Lord Bai Long.”

Upon hearing Matou Ike's almost arrogant declaration—not to exonerate himself, but to "find the murderer"—the reactions of the people in the room were mixed.

Three magicians belonging to the Meastia faction—the apothecary Maio, the curse master Mikko, and the costume designer Islo—

They exchanged a glance, their faces displaying a complex mix of astonishment, doubt, and a barely perceptible hint of interest.

They blinked slightly, seemingly quickly assessing Matouchi's intentions and feasibility, as well as the potential impact on the neutral faction. They did not immediately express their opinion, maintaining a cautious wait-and-see attitude.

The twin maids, Karina and Regina, maintained their submissive posture and silence as if they had no right to speak, their lowered eyelids concealing their inner turmoil. Their existence was as if they were merely furniture in the room, their fate entirely in the hands of their master.

Princess Estella of the Silver Age… she remained veiled, her figure frozen like an ice sculpture. Her reactions, her emotions, her thoughts… remained unknown. The thin veil seemed to isolate her from all possibility of observation, making her the most silent and mysterious enigma in this tragedy.

Then--

"Hahahaha!"

A sudden burst of loud laughter shattered the heavy atmosphere. It was Setra who laughed. He was doubled over with laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke of the year, and the ends of his gray hair trembled slightly with his movements.

“Not bad! To be honest, I wasn’t really keen on attending these boring social gatherings at first,” he said with a laugh, wiping away non-existent tears with the back of his hand. “But now it seems much more ‘enjoyable’ than I imagined! It’s getting more and more interesting!” His words were incredibly flippant, completely ignoring the tragedy before him and focusing only on the “fun.”

After he finished laughing, he turned to Bai Longqing, whose face was ashen, and said in a tone that seemed to be a suggestion but was actually inflammatory:

"Well, Lord Bai Long? Although this guy is highly suspicious and his words are quite infuriating, I think what he said... has some merit." He cleverly packaged Matouchi's arrogant words as some kind of "reason" worth considering.

Bai Longqing's chest heaved violently. He stared intently at Matou Ike, then glanced at his daughter's corpse on the bed, and finally, with extreme heaviness, almost through gritted teeth, said:

"...I agree, there's some truth to that."

Admitting there was some merit to his opponent's words was clearly incredibly humiliating, but as the head of the family, he couldn't let his emotions dictate his actions.

Perhaps, even when faced with his daughter's body, the gentlemanly demeanor and rational attitude of the head of the Izeruma family remained unchanged.

As a magician, can his suppressed emotions and ruthless approach of prioritizing problem-solving be considered a kind of "proud" father? This "proudness" itself is full of the distortion and sorrow of the magician's world.

But he immediately changed his tone, his voice carrying an undeniable firmness:

“But! I can’t let you move freely! After all, you—especially you, Lord Matou—are now considered the most important suspects!”

Just then, Settra spoke again, placing his hand on his chest with a seemingly sincere but actually enigmatic smile on his face, and volunteered:

"What about me, Lord Bailong?"

“I will monitor them.” He pointed to Matou Ike and Arcueid. “How about this? I can make sure they don’t run around or destroy any evidence… and of course, I will ‘assist’ them in their so-called ‘investigation’.”

Chapter 679 Investigation (4k)

Byron's cold gaze swept over Setra, and he rejected his seemingly enthusiastic but actually suspicious suggestion without hesitation:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Setra. You haven’t forgotten… you yourself are also a ‘suspect,’ have you?” He pointed out this undeniable fact that no one present had a completely innocent position.

“…That’s right. Sigh, this is really a headache.” Having been directly exposed, the man with dull gray hair—Setra—shrugged indifferently, simply giving up on trying to win him over, his face showing no disappointment or annoyance.

In his view, this suggestion might not have meant anything beyond a whim or a casual attempt.

Or perhaps this guy just wants to find an opportunity to be alone with Matou Ike.

Just when the situation seemed to have reached a stalemate again—

"—Otherwise, how about 'I' do it?"

A deep, hoarse female voice, yet imbued with supreme authority, accompanied by clear footsteps, came from the direction of the corridor.

That's right.

Only one person was missing from the scene. A person of sufficient influence to break the deadlock.

In this place filled with a desolate scene and an atmosphere of suspicion, the newcomer's authority was enough to prevent anyone else from protesting.

A figure appeared at the doorway.

It was that old woman—Inole Valereta. One of the three noble families of the Clock Tower, the monarch of the Creation Department, she had finally appeared.

She was still wearing that striking emerald green dress, holding a wine glass, her steps were steady, her silver hair was neatly combed, and her sharp eyes swept across the room like a hawk, instantly taking control of the atmosphere.

"Sorry I'm late. I've heard the gist of the situation,"

She spoke, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority, as if she were there not to participate in an investigation, but to preside over a meeting.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be fine if ‘I’ took charge of monitoring them?” The “they” she was referring to were naturally Matou Ike and Arcueid.

"...Lady Balereta." Lord Byron bowed slightly and uttered her name in a complicated tone.

Even at the scene of his daughter's tragic death, he had to maintain the most basic respect for this monarch of his own clan.

Inolai. One of the three noble families, an old woman who holds the highest position in the Baruyeleta sect.

Indeed, among this group of people who are all harboring their own thoughts and distrusting each other, she is probably the one with the most authority, the most seemingly "neutral" stance, and the most "trustworthy".

Even if the Clock Tower's higher-ups intervened and conducted a formal investigation, her testimony would hardly be questioned, and her guarantee would carry decisive weight.

Inola glanced around, her gaze casual yet carrying a palpable pressure as it swept over everyone:

"Gentlemen... no objections, right?" She seemed to be politely seeking consent, but everyone knew that this was in fact a declaration.

Her gaze swept over—

The silent Silver Princess and her maid Regina, the somber-faced father Lord Baron, the three Mayastia magicians who happened to be present with different expressions, the mysterious and frivolous magician Setra, and of course, Matou Ike and Arcueid.

Or perhaps, her gaze even briefly and meaningfully included the golden princess herself, now reduced to a cold, lifeless head.

Faced with such absolute authority and power, no one dared to object. Silence was tantamount to acquiescence.

The old woman nodded in satisfaction, as if she had expected this scene. She said no more and clapped her hands to urge everyone to disperse.

The crisp applause, like a command, broke the stagnant atmosphere in the room.