Chapter 323
Chapter 323
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 323
Chapter Title: The Culprit is in Here -4
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The Evil God's toolbox was originally meant for amusement and pleasure, a power to turn the entire real world into a stage and revel in it arbitrarily.
However, its functions were so overwhelmingly potent that they suffered no shortage even when used for purposes beyond mere "play." It resembled fate in that regard.
The four black magicians had gained access to the toolbox through forging an Evil God statue, each withdrawing and claiming one tool.
The Succubus Queen's 『Heroine』 was the power to designate a story's companion. She had named herself the 『Heroine』, making everyone fall in love with her.
Duke Redburn Maximus's 『Antagonist』 and the Corpse Flower's 『Villain』 surely possessed similar effects. They would elevate humans onto the stage, assign them roles, and make the entire world revolve around that plot.
And then.
What the 『Lamb that Swallows Pain』 had withdrawn from that distant box was—
The power to designate the story's protagonist.
Click-clack-click-clack.
The protagonist of the Violet Magic Tower tale was that immature young boy detective. The genre was mystery, with a tragic tone.
The protagonist was, after all, just a detective, so the mad wizard—a mere side character—couldn't shine too brightly. Fate suppressed him in that manner.
Dealing with the mad wizard was tricky, but not so with the young detective.
This story would end with the detective and his allies losing a friend, agonizing over it, and ultimately failing to catch the true culprit.
Screech. Screeek.
The mad wizard seemed to have noticed the divine authority and was straining to halt the cogwheels of fate, but his struggles only slowed them down.
Even if he exerted every ounce of strength, biting at the cogwheels more than once would be his limit. That was the gulf between god and human.
And even if, through wisdom and cunning, he navigated this ordeal. Even if he uncovered every truth and plunged a dagger into the hidden mastermind's throat.
It would be fine.
The 『Lamb that Swallows Pain』 was immortal.
(Click-clack-click-clack, the sound of a typewriter ringing out.)
"I don't know..."
"...?"
Melverton said with his head bowed low. He clearly knew how suspicious it sounded, yet he couldn't bring himself to lie, leaving him at a loss.
"I didn't even know that person was an assassin to begin with!"
"That guy had his eyes and mouth sewn shut. How could he not look suspicious?"
"Huh? From my view, he looked perfectly fine. Wasn't he just a stern, handsome guy?"
Lorey chimed in from the side.
"She had cast Illusion Magic over her face. Most people coming to the Violet Tower have rough lives, so everyone just assumed she had some complex about her looks and didn't pay it much mind."
I see. So the assassin had been hiding her face for everyday life.
Those skilled enough to notice the Illusion Magic brushed it off as a personal matter, while those who didn't just took it as her real face.
"So what do you mean by 'I don't know'? You recommended her."
"That's the part I don't get. It lists me as the recommender, but... I have no memory of recommending her. He was a total stranger!"
"So you're saying someone forged your name as recommender?"
"N-No, that can't be... Recommenders bring the applicant and sit in on the interview together... Lorey-senpai oversaw it. B-But I have no memory of any interview. It's true!"
Melverton spilled out a story that was confusing just to hear.
To sum it up: He was the recommender, but had no such memory. This aligned with the hint the mad wizard had given me.
A case where the words claimed innocence, but the actions were suspicious.
But assuming Melverton was the culprit meant he had manipulated the central control panel and turned off the Magic Tower's lights... How could that be possible?
One final question remained. I'd investigate further, then reach a conclusion.
When the mad wizard and I reached the 15th floor, the mind-controlled magicians—and the assassin hiding among them—had come for our lives.
Assuming Melverton let the assassin in left the rest of the Violet Tower magicians. The key was when and how they were dominated.
Charlie said,
"Well... isn't it that they were implanted in advance, Detective? Just like hiding the assassin, maybe a month ago, two months ago... set up long beforehand, waiting for the chance."
"... ."
Right. We didn't know when they were mind-controlled. The scope was too broad; any suspect could have prepared in advance.
The investigation was complete.
The case was a mess. Each of the four suspects had something suspicious about them, and any could have been the culprit without it seeming off. In the end, I couldn't narrow the deduction down to one path.
How could that be? Were they all in cahoots?
"... ."
Yeah.
That made everything fit. Lorey or Luce turned off the tower's lights, Melverton let in the assassin, and the four gradually mind-controlled the Violet Tower members bit by bit.
It didn't even have to be willing collusion. The wicked 『Lamb』 could have used overwhelming Illusion Magic prowess to brainwash them all and make them move...
But this hypothesis had issues too.
The mad wizard was peering into their inner selves. If there were traces of brainwashing, he would have spotted them. Any brainwashing would have to be the traceless kind.
And ultimately, the 『Lamb』 was just one person...
I had to point out one among them. Naming someone who wasn't the 『Lamb』 meant an innocent, brainwashed person would be caught. I had to identify the one in four. How? How on earth?
It's blurry. The answer is.
Blurry, just like the mad wizard's wavering form. Ghostly...
"...?"
Ghost?
I thought of possession. Certain undead could enter a living person's body and seize control.
What if the 『Lamb』... was like a ghost?
In that instant, what flashed through my mind was the vengeance passed to me from my master. I had instantly taken in "information," gaining hatred and resentment toward the 『Lamb』. Illusion Magic could do that.
So, if the 『Lamb』 existed as a clump of information. Entering suspects' bodies to act, then slipping out right after.
Then the trick worked.
Everyone was the culprit, and no one was. Naming anyone would be correct yet wrong—a clever trap.
No wonder even the mad wizard, peering inside them, couldn't find it. The 『Lamb』 wasn't inside people; it was outside.
I almost picked wrong no matter who...
"Hoo."
Alright. Time to present the answer.
The 『Lamb』 existed somewhere in this central control room, in some form. Start with searching everyone's possessions. Then scour the room's corners and check the control systems.
That's how I'd solve this case.
"...I've found the culprit."
The suspects buzzed.
"Y-You found them?!"
"Mmph! Mmmph... Mmph...!"
"Good. Then let's hear Detective's deduction."
"Whatever the answer, I just hope you see my innocence. I have a little brother; I can't just vanish pointlessly like this..."
As I opened my mouth to reveal the truth—
"... ."
It caught. Like a grain of sand scratching in my mouth, or occasional tinnitus in my ear—nothing major, but nagging and unsettling.
What was it? Had I overlooked something?
Unsettling, itchy. I wanted to claw my head. Frustrating. So frustrating I undid a shirt button.
"Mmph! Mmmph...!!"
...I rebuttoned it, seeing Luce thrashing.
I desperately racked my brain. Pondered. Urged my spinning wheels, reviewing all info. And then... a single word came to mind.
Mad wizard.
Screech, screeek...
Right, the mad wizard. The guy who left the deduction to me and watched from behind. I still hadn't grasped his intent.
He'd given hints at key moments and maintained that amorphous, black-mist-clumped body... perhaps that was a hint too. Seeing it did lead me to the answer.
The mad wizard was a genius to begin with. Far more knowledgeable about Illusion Magic than me, intimately familiar with the suspects' skills and personalities. He'd likely figured it out long ago.
So he'd known the answer and waited.
...Why?
Look back at the past. Actions carry intent. Scrutinize his lines and deeds, and the intent would reveal itself.
Q. He directly warned me once. What was that line?
A. "Hypnotized people... don't know they're hypnotized. Stage characters don't either. Only the audience can distinguish roles."
Right. He spoke of hypnosis traits. I considered the suspects being hypnotized, but maybe this warning pointed to... me.
I was the one hypnotized.
And the simplest way to break hypnosis was using an 『External Observer』.
Strip away my ego, read the mad wizard's intent, and act accordingly. If I was hypnotized, this was the true answer.
As I declared I'd name the culprit but clamped my mouth shut, doubt crept into the suspects' expressions. To buy time, I dragged out my words.
"...The culprit. The cuuuurprit is."
Truth be told, I was half-doubting. Maybe he just wanted to see me repay the grudge through deduction. But caution beat carelessness.
If my guess was right, the mad wizard had left clues for me. To let me read his intent.
Q. But was I really hypnotized?
A. The mad wizard was maintaining a transformation state.
Right. He'd kept that eerie form from climbing the tower. Every gesture a spell, the incarnation of Illusion Magic in combat stance.
Even breathing sprayed Illusion Magic everywhere. It had to consume mana. Doing it this long meant...
—He was still "fighting" something. Something I didn't know about. A "hypnosis" that snared me the moment I entered the room.
If this whole situation was a massive Illusion Magic web beyond my level... how should I act to help him?
What should I do, mad wizard...?
Q. Were there actions or lines hinting at his intent?
A1. At the deduction's start, when I questioned why I'd suddenly begun deducing, he patted my back. He permitted me to proceed.
A2. He calls me "brat." But here, he repeatedly called me "Detective."
Keep deducing. I had to play the detective role and carry on. That was his intent. But it was odd.
Wasn't it like telling me to stay hypnotized?
Yet he hinted: You're hypnotized. To make me realize it myself.
A contradiction.
But his intent hid in that contradiction. Be hypnotized yet break free; ensnared yet escape. Maintain the frame while doing something. Something...
I am the detective.
He'd confirmed it repeatedly.
A detective has one job. Deduce and name the culprit.
And what a detective could do while not being one.
...Deliberately "fail" the deduction.
For real?
Say the wrong answer on purpose?
Absurd. This was prime chance for vengeance against the Lamb. I knew the answer. Just say it. That's all!
Deliberately failing changes nothing. It'd just add confusion. I might not have read his intent right.
Scary. Hesitant. Gulping saliva, but my throat stayed parched.
Q. What if I'm wrong? What if...
A. "Don't panic or chicken out, Detective."
"... ."
Right.
A detective must get the right answer. But I was the 『Hypnosis Detective』.
"The culprit is—"
More important than the right answer... was what lay beyond. If something went wrong, it was the mad wizard's fault for entrusting a kid.
So don't chicken out. Do it.
"—me!"
"...?"
Click. Click. Creak, screeek—thud.
The 『Hypnosis Detective』 uttered something utterly ridiculous.
"I'm actually the culprit. With my immense hypnosis power... I brainwashed you all and made you commit the crimes. I'll turn myself in."
The sudden self-confession startled the suspects. Lorey even looked worried, probably thinking of her little brother.
"...D-Did someone attack you?"
"No. I'm fine. Anyway, I dominated the Violet Magic Tower, turned off the lights, and manipulated Melverton to let the assassin join."
"I-I knew it!"
Mel-something sprang up, crumbling crisply with joy. Knew it my ass—what did you know? There's always a reason fortunes turn.
Up.
I stood, stretching. Time to wrap the scene.
"Well done, brat."
"...I got it right?"
"Yeah. Correct."
The brat let out a grand sigh and flopped down.
It wasn't about needing a wrong answer per se. A gap in the story, a slight discord—that was enough to topple it all.
But the brat's choice... was even better.
"Evil God's toolbox... nice power. I know from trying the 『Heroine』 myself. Thought I'd die wrestling control since entering the control room."
That's why I knew how toolbox series worked. As fate-enforcers, effects spanned the whole story. Like me using the Succubus Queen's love.
In other words.
"You activated it, but you're not the only one who can wield it."
Screeeeech—!!
I clenched my fist. Yanked the backstage cogwheels hard, briefly redirecting the flow my way.
Simultaneously, Aisha—still binding the tower's exterior with dragons—cast her spell. With her aid, I linked mana to the toolbox, wresting partial control.
One forced use—that was plenty.
Locked room, suspects, detective... plus Yuri Lanster's cameo as police aiding the detective. But one essential mystery novel role was missing.
The victim.
Everything perfect here except no victim.
I grinned at the flopped kid detective.
"What happens if the detective fails his deduction?"
"...A victim appears."
Exactly.
Screeeee... Kagagagagak—!!
"And that victim is you, Painkeeper."
With noise only the Lamb and I heard, fate crumbled toward the mastermind.
The clicking stopped dead. Marked as victim on death's door, but Inheritance Sublimation canceled—he'd barely survived.
Drip. Drip.
Nosebleed dripped from Charlie-or-whatever-senpai's nose. And somehow, a syringe was deeply jabbed into his nape.
The thick liquid sloshed inside, pumping steadily into senpai.
Camouflage, perception distortion, concealment—every enchantment slapped on. As expected, I'm weak to inorganic stuff. Maybe craft a metal detector analog.
Well... from entry, I'd been ensnared by the Evil God's sublimation power, battling for dominance bloodily. No time to strip and search the four.
Soon, senpai opened his eyes. Smiling like a different person.
"...You got me good. Even a god's tool bends to your will? The world is vast, full of geniuses—troublesome."
"You're crap with tools. Should've twisted the story more, set them killing each other. How'd you hide? What's that syringe?"
"Ah, I'll tell you. This syringe's product name is 『Lamb that Swallows Pain』... My self-consciousness and info—my personality—liquefied inside. One jab, and anyone's the 『Lamb』."
"... ."
He pulled two more of the same. Same liquid sloshing; one bubbling, screaming.
I winced at the impending annoyance.
He'd cloned himself. Liquefied the clones' personalities for multiples. Seemed he had plenty.
Meaning dozens of 『Lambs』 outside the tower possibly.
Pointing at the syringe, he said,
"The culprit was in here."