The Complete Crime
She sacrificed everything for the Goddess.
Even though she was only a second-year student, Orlet had gathered the most zealous devotees and taken the lead. With a gentle smile, he spoke to the group.
He wasn't wearing priestly robes, yet his expression could have passed for that of a devout senior priest.
"Jealousy? How pitiful. These mortals who have been stained by the mundane world. The Goddess's will is our will. We have never once been jealous of what the Goddess does. Because her happiness is our happiness. We merely watch from afar."
Rai leaned in close to Philia and whispered, "Pretending to be pious while calling it a fetishist."
She gave a tiny nod in agreement.
His target had merely been changed from a god to Aria, yet the chill still ran down his spine.
Even as Elin stood there with her expression frozen in a rigid smile, Orlet paid her no mind. He gazed at the sky instead, as did the other zealots behind him.
When the eyes of the entire group brightened with the look of beholding something holy, Elin glanced anxiously at Aslan for help, but the latter simply shrugged. He was used to this by now.
"Ah... ah, haha. Understood. If you happen to recall anything, please tell me later. Because the Goddess's will is to save Zeroa."
"Yes, I shall carry the divine will forward."
Elin extended her hand. Orlet dropped to one knee and took it, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.
Elin's face had gone deathly pale. She jerked her trembling hand free and departed with the zealots.
"What kind of place is this? Why is there a crazy person at Legandia Academy, where only elites are supposed to attend?!"
"Still, he's got skill. He's a promising young talent."
At Rai's words, Elin stared in disbelief at the others. Every one of them nodded in silent understanding.
Seeing her target—Aria—escaped was truly a stroke of luck. She turned toward Rai's house.
"These are Zeroa's belongings."
Elin examined the items Kara had brought: the dress worn on the night of the Ball, the ever-present bag, shoes, and more.
"With a solver's eye, does anything stand out?"
"I'm not a solver! I'm a detective!"
Elin corrected the word when Rai reached for the dress. "Don't touch anything. It might leave behind other memories."
"Cute."
"No, if anyone touches it, different memories could be left."
Philia sensed something strange in Elin's words. Ordinarily it would have been "traces." Using the word "memories" felt off.
"What are we going to do with this?"
"Now that the truth is out, I inherited a family trait passed down through generations."
Elin looked up at Rai with triumphant glee.
"Even objects without souls retain memories. I can read the residual traces left on inanimate things."
"Such a spell exists?"
"No, Aslan. This is no magic. It's a Gift bestowed by the divine."
Elin shook her head.
Philia thought of miracles when she heard the word "divine," but that too was wrong.
"Remnants of Memory are..."
"A special ability passed down through bloodlines. In ancient times, techniques were preserved in genetic units and inherited by family members."
"Huh? Genetics? What does that even mean?"
Aslan looked confused. No one—Rai, Philia, Mia, or Elin herself—could make sense of it.
"As expected, Instructor Rai is... well-informed."
"Enough. Investigation? It's complete nonsense. In the end, it was just a scam."
"Aah! No! Remnants of Memory aren't omnipotent! I can only read the tiniest fragments, so they might help or might not! They're just a tool to assist me in deduction!"
At the word "scam," Elin's pride flared. She spoke louder, "It hurt my dignity!"
Aslan had found her tiny body quivering with anger adorable, but Rai was different. He seized Elin's ear and lifted her off the ground.
"Ears! My ears are coming off! Rai, calm down! Calm down!"
"So you shook hands with every person you met. Hey, why did you hide it from me until now? You've been stealing like crazy."
"No! At the time I had to hide it! With so many people knowing now, I had no choice but to reveal it! And this ability is dangerous, so I had to keep it secret! Besides, it's not in my information records—I don't sell client data!"
Rai leaned in closer, his expression turning dark. Elin clutched the hand holding her ear and pleaded frantically.
In the era of the Devil of All Nations, they had met several times. With his power, he could have stolen military intelligence.
Without the Gift, she would have had no choice but to hand over information defenselessly. This ability forced her to stay alert.
Seeing that Rai understood her circumstances, she relaxed. She checked whether her ear was still attached and trembled.
"Why are you bullying the kid?"
"Yes, you were far too rough on Elin."
Aslan and Mia both rebuked him. Elin nodded, glaring at him with dissatisfaction.
Yet the instant Rai's terrifying gaze met hers, she turned away.
"Well, anyway... let's read the remaining memories."
Elin changed the subject. She pulled Zeroa's dress forward from the table.
"Starting with the dress. Remnants of Memory can't read ordinary daily life. That's why it's so helpful for solving crimes."
"What nonsense is this?"
Aslan asked. Elin raised her hand, clearly pleased he had asked a good question.
"For example, can you pick up a kitchen knife? Cooking with it is ordinary. But stabbing someone with it is not ordinary to the knife. Those kinds of things are what remain."
"Just call it a non-ordinary strong memory. Why go to such lengths with examples?"
"Because it's an object. People understand better when you describe it for them, but many of you still don't get it when I explain it for objects."
At Rai's insistence, Elin puffed up and reached for the dress.
"He said he danced with Aria. Let's first check whether Ali Baba's story is true."
Elin closed her eyes.
Nothing appeared to have changed on the surface, yet memories flooded her mind.
Dark alley, streetlight illuminating a bench, the two figures dancing.
"It was more romantic than I expected."
"Well, how was it?"
"Just the background was nice."
Mia's eyes widened. Elin dismissed it lightly, claiming it was nothing special to protect the pure love of a young girl.
"And there are two more in the memory of the clothes. A knight bleeding from the nose."
"Aria's guard. He does that often."
"Does it happen often... ...? This really is a strange place."
Rai nodded at the questions in Elin's eyes.
"There's one more. A man hiding in the bushes, watching."
"What does he look like?"
"It's too dark to see. But the vein on his temple is clear. This is the first time Aria has been watched like this. Her eyes are very emphasized."
"Eye color."
"Green."
Everyone's gaze turned to Aslan. Dense green hair, green eyes.
"Caught."
"Ah, stop messing around! Now?!"
Aslan and Rai tried to grab each other. Elin touched the bag and began reading its memories.
This bag had rarely been touched by anyone except the owner, so traces were likely to remain.
"... ... Did Zeroa get bullied? Someone put something strange in his lunchbox."
"Remembered? What does it look like? That guy was the one I was trying to catch."
Aslan responded with a fierce glare.
Elin, startled to see his expression turn ugly, opened her eyes and ducked behind Rai.
"N-not so excited... first, green eyes, blackish-brown hair..."
"Dark brown."
"Do you know him?"
Philia asked. Everyone looked at her.
"A third-year senior. Diana is investigating him."
"Most likely suspect."
"Damn it, that guy approached me all friendly, and I knew this was coming. I'm done for."
"Did the scene where the holy relic was placed appear?"
The identity of the person who bullied Zeroa had been revealed, but the most important figure still hadn't shown up.
At Rai's question, all eyes turned to Elin.
"No. Nothing. No one touched Zeroa's bag."
"... ... Then Zeroa really stole it?"
Aslan muttered in disbelief.
Mia's face had already turned tearful. While the awkward atmosphere lingered, Philia shook her head.
"He must have placed it himself. He didn't know what it was."
"Yes, that's true. According to Zeroa's statement, he had lunch with Orlet and received many expensive gifts."
Elin flipped through her notebook, searching for the record of their conversation.
"He found it burdensome, but he couldn't refuse the atmosphere. He ended up receiving them almost by force. This person knows how to speak well. He tries to make the other party feel inferior. With that, refusing becomes even harder."
"Even so, there's no proof that the guy actually placed it."
Elin nodded at Rai's words.
"Yes, true. I checked the memories of the items in the bag, but nothing came up. Even if it were a holy relic, from the object's perspective it's just another identical object. No useful memory remains."
"Then what do we do? We still haven't found anything."
Aslan complained, frustrated. Elin smiled.
"We're just getting started. Detective work means gathering people's testimonies, searching for evidence, and uncovering the truth. Don't worry."
Despite her small stature, Elin patted Aslan gently like a mature adult.
Meanwhile, Philia had been assembling the puzzle pieces.
Then she felt a gaze on herself and looked at Rai.
"What kind of person is Orlet?"
Philia frowned, reluctant to answer, then spoke.
"On the surface, he seems to be the kind of person people gossip about behind his back, but Orlet-senpai is outwardly polite and gentle. He genuinely helps those who need assistance. He also has an elegant bearing, which earns him respect."
"What if the mask comes off?"
"He's trash. A selfish human who wouldn't have anyone to envy in the academy."
"A magnificent villain. Perfect for framing an innocent child."
Rai nodded, smiling.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on Philia, unblinking.
"Why?"
"What would be the most helpful thing in this situation?"
Philia thought for a moment.
She had already investigated many people. She had also checked Orlet's movements from the moment his name was mentioned. On the day of the Ball he had gone home exactly like Zeroa.
Her hunch pointed to Orlet, but there was no conclusive evidence.
She remembered Zeroa being bullied, but nothing about placing a holy relic.
Remnants of Memory was indeed a wonderful ability, yet it had one fatal flaw: it could only read, never create.
Then there was only one answer.
"If Elin reads the holy relic, everything will be solved... The fact that a holy relic was stolen and moved to another location is a novel experience... Um... wait a second, what's with that look?"
Philia continued explaining and froze at Rai's expression.
It was the smile of an evil child who had thought of the most enjoyable plan.
Worried, Philia shook her head and tried to stop him.
"No, no, you can't! The church keeps it under strict guard. If we get caught, it won't end as a simple accident."
She hadn't said anything, but her expression clearly declared that he planned to steal it. Philia grew frantic.
Yet Rai simply laughed brightly.
"What did I say my specialty was?"
"... ... What?"
"Complete crime."
The sight of Rai smiling like the Devil of All Nations made Elin—one more person—uneasy.
Elin regretted taking on the job the moment she faced that mad smile from the era of the Devil of All Nations.
Complete Crime Activated
"Hello, Orlet-senpai."
"Today's visitor is quite busy. You seem to be trying hard to help Zeroa as well."
Diana approached with a bright smile. Orlet offered her a seat.
She didn't sit. She simply glared down at him.
"You."
No deference was shown, even though he was her senior. Killing intent surged, and his blue hair floated in mid-air.
Orlet showed not the slightest sign of unease.
"Why do you think that? I'm also asking people for help to find him."
"That's what? No. You're spreading the rumor that Zeroa is the culprit, aren't you?"
He pretended to be gathering information from other students while subtly planting the image of Zeroa's crime in their minds.
His scheme was exposed by Diana's lips, yet he calmly shook his head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"That's for you to say."
Diana smiled at the lie Orlet offered.
"You just attacked a second-year. Zeroa has a good reputation. When his jealous second-years and Rai come to strangle your neck, enjoy life while you still can."
She turned and walked away without waiting for an answer.
"Is Zeroa that great? He didn't seem like it."
Diana's steps halted at Orlet's words.
Her expression was filled with mockery when she looked back.
"That naive boy isn't great. But all the people who love Zeroa are amazing. Ah, right. Let's make this clear. Even that mediocre Zeroa is far superior to someone like you. Got it, loser?"
Diana gave him the middle finger and walked away.
"Too impulsive. No matter how worthless you are, once jealousy eats you alive, it's over. Such people should be removed from the empire for everyone's sake."
It was a promise to end his life no matter what.