Chapter 3
Part 3
-On the morning of the third day.
As if he held some sort of a grudge against it, my master glared at the morning sun that had just begun to rise through the windows of the Castle as he walked through its hallways. I walked a short distance behind him, furtively glancing at the others that were keeping pace with him. Those people were, of course, Orlocke and his assistant.
"Oh? You plan on inspecting the scene again?" Once he realized the direction my master was walking, Orlocke spoke up.
And that was of course towards the central atrium, dominated by the statue of an angel, where Hishiri Adashino was killed.
As they approached the door to the room, we saw a nameplate on the door. We hadn't noticed it before, but it seemed like even this room had a name.
"...ummm...Shamal?"
"Chamael. Not an angel of the Shemhamphorae, but still one that is fairly central to the Sephirot of Kabalah. In the same way, it's aligned with Scorpio, Mars, and is sometimes even called the Guardian Angel of Tuesdays," my master said, once again not hesitating to share his knowledge on the subject. I wasn't sure if it was because this was something that would just be common knowledge to all magi, but I found it a little irritating how he just casually threw that kind of information out in the open every time.
"He is in charge of the angels of destruction, and is often said to have a lot of things in common with demons." As if trying to follow his lead, Orlocke added after my master finished speaking.
Also as a quick aside, I never once heard his assistant speak. There is a distinct possibility he is actually a homunculus.
"-Your footsteps really echo here, don't they?" Orlocke mentioned as my master's heels struck the floor. As my master slowly knelt down to the floor, Orlocke asked another question. "If you were planning on inspecting the room, wouldn't it have been better to do so immediately after the body was found?"
"At that time, there was no telling when the situation would devolve into killing. In fact, the person I was most scared of at that point was you."
"My, my," Orlocke gave a dry laugh at my master's response.
To an outsider, it may have looked like these two were an old man and his grandson, getting along splendidly. But in reality, it wouldn't be strange if at any point a life or death struggle would erupt between the two of them - no, considering the difference in their abilities, it would be nothing but a one-sided massacre. That was the kind of partnership they had.
While the body had already been removed by Ashbourne's servants, a few bloodstains still remained scattered across the room. Inspecting each one of them, my master's gaze and finger systematically appraised them one by one. Every once in a while, my master would take out a vial of some sort of liquid from his jacket. With one drop of that liquid, the colour of the bloodstain changed dramatically. Seeing this procedure, Orlocke stroked his chin as if absorbed in the process.
"I see. Rather than science, it's more like Medieval era Alchemy. Or maybe it would be more correct to call it a form of Witchcraft?"
"By analzying the concentration of magical energy remaining in the bloodstains, we can determine when Miss Adashino died. There's nothing this could be other than magecraft, right?"
"Of course, of course. Science and Magecraft sleep in the same bed, after all. Though maybe an expression like that is a bit too modern to be accurate. After all, if your methods are too direct, your getting farther away from the Mystery, you know." Orlocke spoke off-handedly, seeming to thoroughly be enjoying the conversation.
"Well, I've tried a number of methods, and it just turns out this is the one I'm best at," my master replied politely, all the while continuing his investigation.
After applying a drop of the liquid to the bloodstain, he would watch carefully how its colour changed, and then move on to another. Writing down notes in a notepad as he went, he would also sometimes take a small vial of another liquid and use it instead, applying it to a place where he had already applied the previous liquid. This pattern repeated as he carried out his investigation. In all honesty, if it had been in any other situation, it was a plain enough process to be simply boring. Yet even so, Orlocke watched with undivided attention, his expression like a child that had found an insect for the first time.
"The Angelic Name I was given was Nanael," Orlocke suddenly spoke.
"Ruling over the sign of Aries, representing the fall of pride."
"Yes. And if your conjecture is correct, I'll be killed by having my tongue pulled out. Heh, that's kind of pleasant, in its own way."
"..." Without saying a word, my master applied another drop of liquid to one of the bloodstains.
As the sun continued to steadily climb into the sky beyond the windows, I began to wonder what had happened with breakfast this morning. I could faintly smell something good earlier, so perhaps it had been prepared in the dining room as it had the day before. It was almost like Hishiri Adashino had never died.
Or maybe, that an event like that was just nothing out of the ordinary for a magus.
"...no, it's just too strange."
Suddenly, my master broke the silence, stroking his chin as he spoke.
"And what would that be?"
"...what happened to her glasses?" At that somewhat odd question, both Orlocke and I frowned.
"Oh?"
"She wasn't wearing her glasses when we found her, right?"
"Well, naturally. It's pretty difficult to gouge out someone's eyes while they are wearing glasses."
Orlocke replied with the seemingly obvious response. Because of how obvious it was, it was something that none of them had even taken note of when they found her before. Rather than her glasses or other accessories, their attention was held strongly by what had happened to her eyes.
"...right. But according to this, her time of death would have been..." Before he could say any more,
"Oh, so you two are working together now, are you?" Orlocke said as he turned to face the door.
Standing in the doorway they had entered through earlier, a new pair of figures could be seen. While my master and Orlocke were certainly the same, they really looked like an unfitting pair. A girl so beautiful she would be the center of attention at any ball, with the astrologer, caked in filth, that looked like he had just been trekking through the desert.
Luvia and Flue.
Behind them was Luvia's Mohican servant. Despite being almost two meters tall, he blended in to the scenery splendidly. Perhaps that was a skill learned as part of his profession as a servant.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Flue said, scratching his cheek. In contrast to his words, his smile showed no sign of shyness or timidity. As he spoke, he motioned with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, as if mimicking the thickness of a stack of bank notes. "But I've been...'supplied.' Looks like I'm playing for this team now."
"Suit yourself," my master replied unconcerned, still on his hands and knees. In addition to the test tubes from earlier, and had now taken out a magnifying glass, and was still keeping watch of the changing colour of the bloodstains.
"But if at all possible, please don't bother me. I'm in the middle of an investigation."
"And what do you think you'll learn from something like that?"
(...huh?)
I frowned. Luvia's voice had a sharpness that couldn't quite be masked, as if she was upset at something. Whether they just had bad affinity, or their first meeting had damaged their relationship, there was an obvious danger in the air between them from the start, but this seemed like something more.
"Lots."
"Lots? What do you think you can learn when you don't even know the scope of your suspects' abilities?" Once again, the girl asked the same question. It was an obvious declaration that she wouldn't take any half-baked answers. In contrast, my master never even lifted his gaze, speaking as he continued to watch the floor.
"Well, yes, there's no meaning in that. At least when it comes to the 'howdunnit.'"
"Howdunnit?"
"Sorry, its some detective novel jargon. Basically, 'how did the culprit commit the crime.' Similarly, 'whodunnit' would refer to 'who is the culprit.' There's no telling what kind of supernatural things magi are capable of, so without knowing the limits, those are meaningless questions. When it comes to Geryuon's mystery, or even this incident, such straightforward deductive reasoning has no value."
I somewhat understood what my master was saying. Even in my hometown, detective novels were plentiful. The famous detectives in them typically showed off their incredible minds by focusing on these two questions, but if magi were going to be part of the equation, there was little that such reasoning could offer. When you realize that some magi could do things like walk through walls, or fly through the air, the methods they could use to commit the crime would be next to limitless.
"But the 'whydunnit' - why they committed the crime in the first place - that remains a possibility," my master added, speaking slowly. "Even if their origin is different, a person's elemental affinity will reflect their nature. Magecraft is no different. For magi, who have been steeped in the story of magecraft since before they were even born, whether they accept that fate or rebel against it, it will doubtlessly brand them down to their very core. In that way, no one is as incapable of lying as a magus."
Speaking softly, he kept his eyes locked on the floor. Sometimes cleaning dust away with a small brush, sometimes inspecting the floor through his magnifying glass, he was still locked in his battle with his mysterious liquid. Maybe as a result of how hard he was focusing, sweat begin to bead on his forehead, which he would wipe away with the back of his hand from time to time.
"So, I believe even if I can't solve the mystery, I can still find a way to get closer."
"In what way?" Luvia continued to press her question.
It wasn't that she didn't understand what my master was saying, but more like she was pressing him to prove it to her. Receiving her provocation, he finally lifted his eyes.
"For example, if it was the Edelfelt Jewel Magic..."
Luvia's expression visibly twitched.
"The relationship between magecraft and jewels dates back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. So basically, it's about as old as human history itself, taking root in Gemcraft illusions. From the beginning, jewels were the symbol of royalty, and from the perspective of various forms of alchemy, they were used to preserve youth and health. 'Aristotle's Book of Minerals' is an obvious one, but Stone also features as one of the four fundamental elements, and one of the four fundamental natures in Hildegard's 'Physica.'"
The book mentioned by my master sounded familiar to me.
Of course, 'Aristotle's Book of Elements' had a huge significance even historically. It not only acted as a scientific catalogue of 72 minerals and their medicinal uses, but if I remembered correctly, also spoke about the source of Power Stones.
...72, again.
I knew that it was a number with significance in magecraft, but with the degree to which it was appearing, it was starting to seem more like it was cursed.
"But, if we look at the Gandr you showed me earlier, your magecraft is clearly sourced closer to northern Europe. That would mean it uses gems as a medium for magecraft, infusing them with magical energy by dyeing them with the user's own blood or other bodily fluids. It's better to look at it like a form of specialized Rune magic. While the state of Rune Magic in general is in decline, the Edelfelt's brought jewels into the mix and cut open a new path for themselves. It's probably a similar situation as to why their Spells are in English. If we ask what we can learn from that information, we can see that as an Edelfelt, you probably take great pride in the tremendous value of your jewels, very different from some many other nobles or aristocrats."
"Shut up!"
Luvia's scream brought my master's explanation to an end. "Say any more and there won't even be dust of you to sweep up!"
It seemed like her anger up until now had been doubled - no, it really was beyond comparison. Her whole body gave off a murderous rage incomparable to anything before. Even I, who wasn't even the target of that anger, unconsciously recoiled from her outburst.
In sharp contrast,
"...might I be able to ask you not to threaten my good friend like that?" Orlocke Caesermund, with a cheerful expression on his lips, spoke up.
Of course, there was no way that Luvia had forgotten about Orlocke being in the room. But, unable to ignore his words, her brow twitched.
"'Friend?'"
"Indeed. He really is an interesting young fellow. It would be quite a waste to have him blown to pieces here. Is there something wrong with that?" Orlocke couldn't help but give a dry chuckle as he asked.
Compared to when the two had first met in the lobby of the Castle of Separation, it was as if their positions had been completely reversed. While previously it had been Orlocke who had had his secret dragged into the open, now it was her turn to have her facade stripped away.
Pressed back by that laugh that hollow, skull-like laugh, the blonde-haired girl could do nothing but return the jewels she had drawn to her pockets. As she did so, she turned back to my master.
"Of course. Certainly you do seem to be in love with magecraft. In a way you could even call yourself an investigator of magecraft." Luvia spoke, chest puffed out in anger. "But if you really knew magecraft, you would understand that all you are doing is destroying it."
Hearing that, my master adopted a terribly difficult expression. It was a mysterious look, like he had taken a bite of something nostalgically bitter.
"...my teacher once told me something similar, you know."
"You must have had a rather brilliant teacher, then."
"Of course. There was no one who could compare to him as a magus. He really is the only one suitable for the name El-Melloi...was, the only one suitable." Seeing my master's wry expression as he spoke, I unconsciously held my breath.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
My master's own master.
And maybe...a man who my master killed with his own hands.
But without pressing for any more, Luvia turned her back on the room.
"Good day, then. I'll be praying that you find even a fragment of a star while you're crawling around there on the floor like an animal."
"See you around," Flue tossed in his own farewell with a wave as he left to chase after the departing blonde.
When the two had completely vanished from earshot,
"You were provoking her on purpose, weren't you?" My master said, turning to face Orlocke.
"Mmm. I had the sudden inclination to get back at her for our first meeting. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy myself thoroughly at her expense. Ha, that hyena's unhappy expression was priceless. Seeing it refreshes me so much I feel like it added years to my life." The old man spoke with a satisfied expression.
Maybe he was just acting childish, but one wrong step would have been an invitation to death.
"...master."
As I called out, my master put a reassuring hand on my hooded head.
He didn't so much as look at me, yet his hand patting my head had an unexpected gentleness to it.
"Thank you for protecting me," my master said. "Thanks to you, I was able to learn something."
"Oh?" Orlocke's eyes narrowed, once again being lost in a sea of wrinkles.
"Could I ask you a question, Mister Caesermund?"
Originally Posted by Arashi_Leonhart
Thank you TwilightsCall!
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