Chapter 6: Don't Talk Like a Detective
First, the photographer Herbie was killed.
But that was done by the orca, Graphio, hiding in the sea.
Next, Dmitri disappeared.
Leaving traces that could only mean he was killed.
In quick succession, Ivan disappeared.
Attacked by someone—no, likely after being killed.
Yes, apologies to Dmitri and Ivan, but let's proceed with the assumption that the two have already been killed.
I was organizing the events so far while lying on the bed in Room 210, which had been assigned to me.
After watching over Luciolla until she began to breathe the rhythm of sleep, I returned to my room and immediately lay down on the bed. But as expected, I couldn't sleep peacefully.
The clock on my smartphone showed it was already 3:00 AM. Only time was ticking away mercilessly.
But thanks to that, I was able to calm down and think about various things.
First, why did Dmitri go to such a place alone?
Going out of his way to unlock the door, crossing to the West Wing—what on earth was he doing?
Is there a connection between his objective and the reason he was killed?
And then Ivan—
Why was he in Room 303 instead of his own room?
And when that phone call happened, everyone else was on the first floor.
Then is the culprit someone we don't know?
Is there someone unknown to us lurking somewhere in the mansion—on this island? Like that albino Graphio.
I sat up in bed and strained my ears to the wind outside.
"Right after Ivan was attacked, we rushed out of the lounge and headed to Room 303. Yet, there was no one in that room..."
In that instant, how did they carry away Ivan's body and disappear themselves?
It doesn't seem like a human feat.
"Are you saying a 'Siren' is really going around attacking people?"
As I was deep in thought, there was a sudden knock at the room door.
Lilitea? Or maybe Belka.
"What time is it..."
Approaching the door, I started to say the password, but felt foolish and stopped.
It wouldn't make sense anyway, so it's kinder to just open it quickly.
I told everyone else not to open the door if someone visited, but regarding myself, such caution is unnecessary.
Rather, if the culprit visits directly, they are most welcome. If I can see their face, I'd say please, go ahead and attack me.
No, well, I'd prefer not to be killed, and I'd like to be spared the pain, though.
"Who is it? Did you get scared being alone and come to visit... maybe..."
Making a light remark, I opened the door.
And then—
"Ah."
"Who do you think is scared?"
Standing in front of the door was Chardina.
Unexpected, unforeseen.
A surprising visitor. Currently, she isn't even accompanied by her subordinates.
I instantly stiffened and searched for her intent.
"............A nocturnal visit?"
"Wrong!"
Char stomped the floor with her small foot, looking offended.
"Since we've finally reunited, I thought I'd do you the favor of having a nice chat."
"With me?"
"Time is running out, isn't it? So, while we can, you know?"
"Whose fault do you think it is that there's a time limit?"
I thought she would come into the room, but Chardina brushed aside her long hair and walked down the corridor.
"Follow me. Alone."
She descended the stairs with graceful steps, opened the door to the entrance hall, and went outside.
A raging wind welcomed us.
The weather conditions hadn't changed much since we all went outside earlier.
Layers of clouds covered the sky, flowing busily in one direction.
"The rain has stopped, too. Shall I take you for a midnight walk?"
Naturally patronizing, Chardina started walking to the right within the grounds.
Chardina walked while touching the stone wall with her hand. It was that gesture elementary school students unconsciously do with guardrails or wire fences on their way home.
I imitated her and touched it too. The texture of the moss covering the stone wall was unexpectedly pleasant.
"Are you still immortal, as always?"
Continuing along the mansion, turning right and going around to the back would lead to where Herbie's body was.
Chardina didn't go there; instead, she ducked under the stone arch before it.
Exiting the grounds from there, the sea immediately came into view.
The pitch-black sea surface was undulating madly like the back of a giant snake.
We watched the spectacle of waves crashing against the bedrock, scattering like fireworks and blooming into white foam.
"You knew."
It was a long time later that I was able to react to Chardina's question.
She knows about my unique constitution.
"Obviously. Who do you think Char is? And you, who do you think you are?"
"...What does that mean?"
I understand the first part. With Chardina's intelligence network, she could easily expose my secret. But I didn't quite get the latter words.
I am me. Not that big of a deal.
"Still chasing the truth of your father's death, I see?"
Without answering my question, Chardina moved on to the next.
As if to say Char decides when and what to ask.
"Oitsuki Tatsuya is dead. Is that not enough?"
"It's not that it's not enough. If that is the truth. I just want to know the truth."
"Don't talk like a detective. Hey, hold this for a sec."
Just when I thought she had suddenly jumped at my chest, Chardina left something in my hands and went down to the beach herself.
What was handed to me were the high heels she had been wearing.
Chardina walked along the edge of the beach, leaving dotted footprints.
Surely this sandy beach is usually wider, but right now, violent waves are rushing up quite close.
Fragments of those waves wash her bare feet.
Objectively viewing that scene... that scenery including Chardina was, no matter how one describes it, picturesque and beautiful.
We know that in a few hours, merciless missiles will fly from beyond that horizon and overrun this Gallery Island. Even though that is due to none other than Chardina's whimsical instructions.
"Sakuya. As a reward for coming all the way to the Mediterranean following Char's orders, I'll tell you a little something."
She picked up the hem of her skirt and dodged the waves as if dancing. It was a bit nerve-wracking, feeling like if I looked away, she would be swept away by a strong wave and disappear into the sea.
"That passenger plane—it wasn't Char who brought it down."
"...Then who on earth was it?"
"Someone who wants to obtain you."
"Eh?"
"Think about it calmly, Sakuya. Dying again and again and coming back to life. Do you think the world would leave such a human alone? That isn't a special skill on the level of running a little faster than others or drawing beautiful pictures. Do you understand?"
"I understand tha..."
"That is, to put it mildly, humanity's dream. Anyone would want to get their hands on such a dream, wouldn't they? They'd want to monopolize Oitsuki Sakuya, right? But to do that, Oitsuki Tatsuya was too much of a hindrance."
"Are you saying it's my fault!? That someone targeting me disposed of my old man first..."
The one being targeted was—me?
"Right now, a great vortex is beginning to form on the underside of the world. And that vortex revolves around Sakuya—your immortality."
The flowing clouds tore apart occasionally, revealing the moon now and then. The spilled, faint moonlight reflected on the sea.
"This is still the preparation stage. But once everything is in place, a world will arrive where we won't be able to talk about murder cases or locked rooms."
In such a world, will you still be able to call yourself a detective?
Before I knew it, Chardina had come up from the sandy beach and offered her toes toward me.
"Put them on me."
"Can't you put on your own shoes?"
"Rest assured. Such an opportunity will never visit Char in her lifetime."
"...What's that about."
"Come on, hurr—Hyah! That tickles!"
"If you don't brush the sand off the soles of your feet first, the inside of the shoes will be gritty later! Between the toes too!"
"No! Don't touch weird places!"
I put the heels on her while arguing.
What am I doing?
Tapping the toes of her high heels on the ground, Chardina pointed forward.
"Now, we've arrived."
"Arrived... here... could it be."
Looking, there was a single small building in front of us.
"Right. Eliseo's Atelier. I told you, didn't I? Char wants Eliseo's debut work. Here—doesn't it just look like there's something inside?"
"Was coming here your goal from the start?"
"Don't play dumb. You stayed up until this time intending to investigate this place from the start too, didn't you? Thinking there might be clues to the incidents that occurred in the mansion."
"...I wonder."
"Feigning ignorance. Breaking rules to solve a case. I thought you weren't like Tatsuya at all, but you're his son after all."
"That evaluation is too disgraceful. I'm offended."
When I made a face, Chardina laughed like a child.
"Now, let's go in. Is the key unlocked?"
"I wonder."
Listening to Ursna-san, hope is slim. Still, I tentatively circled the atelier once to check.
The atelier was a truly small building compared to the mansion.
I could circle it in no time.
The back was a slope, forming a depression. Several trees grew there, their branches swaying rustlingly in the wind.
Somehow interested, I went down there.
Looking around, the location formed a natural sort of small plaza.
If you spent time in the shade of those trees on a sunny day, it would surely be pleasant.
Walking around, I realized part of the ground was soft like a sandbox. It looked like beach sand had been brought in.
"Haha, is this Lou's playground? Whoops, this isn't the time for this."
In the end, the atelier had no back door, and all the windows were locked.
I hurriedly left the spot and returned to the front of the atelier, where Chardina was angry.
"What were you doing? Don't keep Char waiting."
"Sorry. There wasn't any place we could enter."
"I figured. Then it can't be helped."
Saying that, she slowly took out a coin-sized machine I had never seen before from somewhere in her skirt—how was she storing it?
She attached it to the door's keyhole. Immediately, the mysterious machine emitted a small sound and began to operate.
"...What is that?"
While I was asking, the sound of the lock opening, clack, was heard.
"Char's secret tool. The 'Leave-It-To-Me Unlocker'. It automatically opens most keys. Convenient, right?"
I question that naming sense.
"But entering without permission..."
"What are you saying to a Phantom Thief?"
Now that she mentions it, that's true. Standing before me is a world-wanted Phantom Thief.
"If you don't like it, why not try to stop Char? Mr. Detective."
"Mu..."
In the end, driven by curiosity and the mission to solve the case, I stepped into the atelier.
"Ah-ah, you entered. Okay, you're an accomplice."
I felt like there was a black heart mark at the end of her sentence just now.
□
"It's dusty. The absolute worst."
Just as Chardina said, the air drifting inside the atelier was dusty, indicating it hadn't been cleaned properly for a long time.
It was pitch black inside, and almost nothing was visible. But since we were trespassing, we couldn't boldly turn on the lights either.
"Here."
Then Char handed me a small penlight. Did she pull this out of her skirt too?
Since it was called an atelier, I thought it would be filled with art supplies and unfinished paintings, but the inside had an atmosphere closer to a study.
There was a single window on the ocean side, a heavy desk in front of it, and shelves lining the left and right.
The layout was simple. Just this one room.
"Eliseo de Sica spent a lot of time alone here, it seems."
"Does a phantom debut work really exist?"
"Eliseo answered a glossy art magazine interview just once, decades ago, and he said it then. That my true debut work is hidden in a place no one can see."
"Is that so. Maybe he hid it because he wasn't satisfied with the result?"
"I wonder. In that interview, he also said this: Because that thing is cursed."
"Cursed?"
Does he mean an ominous painting?
"At the time, it seemed to be taken as mere lip service, but when Char read the article, something snagged. Maybe it really exists. And if it does, it must be in his hideaway that no one knows. I've been thinking I wanted to visit if I ever found the time."
Char checked the paintings hanging on the wall one by one.
"Hmm... No good. These are all paintings by other artists. Well, Eliseo didn't seem like the shameless type to decorate his private space with his own works, so I somewhat expected this."
Meanwhile, I was interested in Eliseo's desk.
On the desk was a stack of practice drawings he had left behind. Croquis, I think they're called; people and animals were drawn vividly with charcoal.
Many of the portraits were of a small girl. Perhaps Luciolla in her childhood.
Aside from that, the desk was quite cluttered with ink bottles, a desk lamp, an empty cup with dust accumulated at the bottom, and a fountain pen.
But nothing particularly caught my eye.
I looked up feeling unsatisfied. Then Chardina's face was right in front of me.
"Sakuya, look over there."
"Huh?"
"Hup."
Guided by her fingertip, I looked up reflexively.
"What are you doing all of a sud... Ah."
"See. It makes you curious, doesn't it? That."
Something like a handle could be seen on the ceiling. It seems Chardina initiated this because she wanted to show me that.
Searching the room carefully, we found a hook stick behind a shelf, so I used it to pull the handle.
Then, a retractable ladder came down from the ceiling.
"Ohh, I yearned for this kind of thing as a kid."
"I couldn't really tell from the outside, but it looks like there's an attic."
"Shall we climb up? Ladies first?"
"No way. You'd look from below, wouldn't you?"
"I wouldn't look! The only thing I want to see is the truth."
"So I said, don't talk like a detective."
Eventually, I climbed the ladder first.
The attic smelled somewhat moldy, and of the sea.
There wasn't really any furniture.
The only things there were a worn-out rocking chair and a round table.
"Sakuya, there's something interesting."
Chardina pointed to the top of the table. A newspaper article with an old date and a single journal were quietly placed there.
The journal appears to be Eliseo's without a doubt.
When I carefully turned the first page, this was written there:
—Do not wake the Sea-Wraiths.
"Sea-Wraiths...? That's a word I've heard somewhere... Ah, right, I think that was the title of that painting..."
Eliseo's painting displayed in the entrance hall.
"Sea-Wraiths... I heard it was a coined word Eliseo thought up, but... what on earth does it refer to?"
A bit bewildered by the deepening mystery, I turned the pages while illuminating them with the penlight.
Most of it was occupied by memos about trivial seasonal changes on this island or motifs for new paintings.
Of course, there were also growth records of his granddaughter, Luciolla.
But my eyes were drawn to a description on a certain page.
Because only that part carried a different color from the others.
<Eliseo's Journal: December 10th>
The pomegranate tree has begun to bear fruit again this year.
When this season comes, even now, I remember the winter of 1964.
I remember the sound of the wind in the distant northern land.
Back then, I was still called Yuri. A nostalgic name now.
That winter, while the government was celebrating the success of Vostok, behind the scenes, our project had run aground.
The research launched centrally by Boris, Isaak, and myself had yielded no results for a long time, and in a state where we couldn't hope for aid from the country, we were gradually being cornered.
At that time, everyone was an inexperienced youngster just out of university, and quarrels and disputes only increased in those days with no visible future.
"What are the results of our research?"
"One Kopek!"
We used to ironically estimate our research results at a bargain price like that.
However, even in such times, only Irina was always calm, soothing us hot-blooded men.
Beautiful Irina. Thinking back, she was the only one who praised the hobby paintings I secretly started to kill time.
Irina. The reason I could cling to research even in that state was precisely because you were there.
□
It was the summer of the following year that light shone on the research, which had seemed like a worthless pipe dream started with friends.
An offer of investment came from a company called Hyalta Heavy Industries, based in Norway. Without a second thought, we jumped at the offer.
From there, the research advanced rapidly.
There were voices concerned about borrowing power from an unidentified overseas enterprise, but we had no choice at that time.
—With this, we are one step closer to the completion of the Sea-Wraiths.
Everyone, including myself, was captive to our ambition as researchers.
"Sea-Wraiths" was a tentative name for the research object used among us few colleagues.
It was just made by randomly arranging words we all picked out; there is no meaning in it.
However, since we were trying to generate something that does not yet exist in this world, I thought a name that doesn't exist would be fitting.
Using this name only among us. Therefore, only the four of us in the world know this word.
It was shortly after receiving the investment from Hyalta Heavy Industries that our young ambitions began to stray from the path.
It is about time we proceed to human experimentation—surprisingly, it was the timid Boris who first suggested it.
We had frequently conducted biological experiments using guinea pigs as funds allowed, but we had not yet done so on humans.
Boris argued that our research had already reached that phase.
Is it not premature? Is it not dangerous?
Of course, such opinions were raised. I argued so as well. But I couldn't blame Boris.
Originally, we had already consumed considerable research funds by that point, and the deadline for reporting research results was approaching.
Eventually, it was decided that human experimentation would be conducted, and we had to find a subject.
Administer the prototype Sea-Wraiths to the subject.
Record the process of fixation, then enter field testing.
However, a subject was not found as easily as thought.
Due to the nature of the research, we couldn't recruit openly.
We could have paid a drunkard collapsed on a street corner to come, but from a humanitarian standpoint, I took a negative stance on that. Of course, we also had to fear the possibility of secrets leaking from the subject.
It would be unbearable if they went around bragging about "finding a well-paying job" over drinks later.
While we men were dithering like that, there was one who stepped forward voluntarily.
Irina.
—Please use my body.
Of course, I stopped her. We haven't yet been able to predict all the dangers that might occur.
To dissuade her, I put my heart into it and spent time persuading her repeatedly.
However, that day, something unexpected happened.
Someone administered the Sea-Wraiths to the sleeping Irina without permission.
The search for the culprit began immediately, but it didn't take long to identify them.
Because they came forward themselves.
It was Boris and Isaak who did it.
They had been confident in the perfection of the prototype for some time, and they couldn't help but want to test it on a human as soon as possible.
"It's fine, Yuri. There isn't a single cloud in the crystal of our wisdom. There is no worry for Irina's body."
Isaak patted my shoulder without seeming apologetic, and began taking data on Irina's body after administration as if he couldn't wait.
I struck them. But at that time, in the end, I couldn't part ways with them.
In my heart, I wanted to see it too.
The first step humanity takes into the Immortal Domain.
The result of the experiment of the Sea-Wraiths—no, the Elixir.
□
I lifted my face from the journal and exhaled deeply.
It seems I had unconsciously been holding my breath.
"What is this...? Eliseo... just who is he?"
Eliseo de Sica.
He should be a painter. Lilitea said so too.
Yet, what is written here is content far removed from that title.
Project—Research—Sea-Wraiths—Elixir.
"Hmm. The unknown past of Eliseo, implies."
Before I knew it, Chardina was peering into the journal from the side. Sitting on the desk, legs crossed.
"Unknown past?"
"Eliseo, you see, started getting attention as a painter well past the age of thirty, but his background before that is completely unknown. All that is vaguely known is that he seems to have come to Italy from the Soviet Union of that time. Well, he maintained thorough secrecy, which in turn attracted the interest of art dealers and fans."
"Are you saying what's written here is about his time in the Soviet Union before he became a painter?"
"This is casually a huge discovery. According to the journal, he seems to have held some kind of research position. And he was trying to develop something that couldn't be made public."
"Is that... the Sea-Wraiths? What on earth is that?"
"Probably... just a guess, but isn't it the code name for the magic science potion, the Elixir?"
"You know of it?"
"I don't have proof. But it says Immortal Domain there, right? That rang a bell. Stories about research teams dipping their hands into such studies since long ago have reached Char's ears."
Sea-Wraiths is an unofficial name shared only among the developers—is that it?
"Is this Elixir they're developing something that creates immortal humans?"
"Yes. Elixir is a word that started being whispered in some circles in the last ten years. Though, only in the deepest part of the underworld, in parts of the financial, pharmaceutical, and biological sectors."
"Eliseo was involved in the development of that drug...?"
"Reading this, it seems so."
"For what purpose is this Elixir being made?"
"Automatic Body Repair—Auto Heal."
Chardina's answer was simple.
"It is said that humans given the Elixir become able to repair all damage to their bodies solely within their own bodies. Any injury, any disease."
"Repair... such a nonsensical thing..."
"You, what are you saying shelving your own condition?"
When she pokes at that, I have no retort.
"Elixir; it is a vaccine to prevent humanity from the epidemic called death. Though, that is all only if it is completed safely. For many years, it wasn't taken seriously by anyone as a mere pipe dream —Apparently, but then one day, that research team announced to those circles that they succeeded in giving self-repair functions to a lab mouse. With video."
"In other words, the Elixir was completed?"
"Listen to the end. The mouse in the video apparently grew a new leg the next day even after it was cut off. But, the progress after that hasn't been announced. Why do you think that is?"
"Eventually, the mouse died from side effects or something?"
"Most likely."
They hid the inconvenient parts, huh.
Even though it's written in the journal as something from over half a century ago, is it still not completed?
To think there are people spending such long years on research seeking immortality.
"Even so, it was plenty of impact for the foolish lot who saw it. Attention began to gather suddenly, and influential and powerful people all over the world started investing in the Elixir research team."
“Char isn't involved, though,” she added at the end of her words.
"Even so, it's a surprise that Eliseo de Sica was one of the initiators of that Elixir development."
It seems there are things that don't get caught in Chardina's intelligence network.
"Why did Eliseo leave his former research team, leave his motherland, and cross over to Italy? The answer might be written in the continuation."
Chardina leaned her body firmly toward me and poked the journal with her fingertip.
"Read the rest of the picture book. Papa~"
"Stop that."
<Eliseo's Journal: December 11th>
Perhaps because I recalled the distant past yesterday due to a seasonal whim, even today, memories of bygone days continue to overflow like a muddy stream and won't stop.
Since I don't feel like running a brush over canvas like this, I will try to calm my heart by scribbling memories here.
As Isaak said, no noticeable side effects were seen in Irina's body after administration.
And ten days later, the anticipated effects began to appear in Irina's body.
If I write that a cut on her fingertip made with a razor healed completely in half a day, the effect the Elixir brought should be understood.
I still dragged around complicated feelings, but everyone was rejoicing in the advancement of the research due to the progress going according to plan.
But that was a fleeting joy.
Around the time two months passed, unexpected abnormalities began to occur in Irina's body.
The collapse of the flesh.
Like rust encroaching on iron, it gradually ate away at her, tormenting her.
I sacrificed everything in my life to find a solution to save her. I re-examined every conceivable possibility and looked for a way to stop the collapse.
But in the end, I could do nothing. I couldn't do anything for her.
It was at such a time that we found out Irina was pregnant with my child.
No one knew what kind of effect it would have on the child in her womb.
Although she hadn't known, Irina regretted involving her child in the experiment and blamed herself.
Blamed herself so much that she started to go mad—one could say.
Irina's belly grew larger as the months passed. And her flesh continued to be eaten away.
By the time she reached her final month, Irina was barely maintaining human form.
She couldn't sit up, food and drink wouldn't pass her throat, and she couldn't laugh or cry.
I threw my fortune into hastening the development of a drug to stop Irina's collapse.
Meeting no one, not sleeping, I searched for a way to save the woman I loved most.
But no such thing remained anymore.
On the contrary, there was a decisive lack and contradiction in our research, and we realized that no matter how we proceeded, the completion of the Elixir was impossible.
We had proceeded with research focusing solely on the regenerative ability of the flesh, but the essence was not there.
Time—Chronos. We were missing that concept!
It's no use, like this... No matter how we struggle, like this—
And on the last day Irina existed as Irina in this world.
She gave birth to a single adorable daughter. Like a miracle, she had a human form.
Immediately after picking up my born child, I saw the body of my wife, and mother, Irina, crumble away into dust.
The following week, I decided to take my daughter and leave my colleagues.
No, they were no longer colleagues.
Blinded by the results of the experiment, they had already lost their brakes.
On top of that, by beautifying Irina's sacrifice as "devoted self-sacrifice as a researcher," the team had developed an atmosphere of intoxication, willing to take whatever method seemed to be the theoretical optimal solution.
"Next time, let's collect data on the daughter."
The decisive blow was those words from Boris.
"She is a child who touched the Sea-Wraiths through the mother's body while in the womb. There is no sample more precious than this."
I happened to overhear Boris saying that when I wasn't there. There was no one else who strongly denied it.
They embraced theory and threw ethics into the gutter.
It was obvious that if things continued like this, they would force human experimentation on many unrelated people.
And so, I turned my back on my colleagues and motherland and became a fugitive.
With my beloved daughter—Apollonia, and fragments of research data I had not yet disclosed to any of my colleagues.
That research data, named the 『Irina Report』, is a compilation of the results I obtained in the process of struggling to save my wife.
Even now, after time has passed, that document is strictly stored and sealed in a place in this mansion that no one can see.
How many times have I thought of disposing of it until today—
However, even at this late stage, somewhere, I still want to believe in people.
I am wishing. That someday, someone will appear who will complete our research, the Sea-Wraiths... with a righteous heart.
That someone will appear who will use it correctly as a gospel for my daughter Apollonia, and the generation of my grandchildren—no, for all precious life.
At that time, salvation will be brought to Irina's death and soul as well.
□
Hearing the sound of a door opening downstairs, I instinctively stopped reading the journal.
Looking beside me, Chardina was shrugging slightly. Her face said, "Looks like someone's here."
She also skillfully conveyed with a gesture, "By the way, we left the door unlocked."
At this hour, who besides us would visit this secluded atelier?
Step by step, footsteps treading on the floor.
"Is someone up there?"
A questioning voice.
Come to think of it, we left the ladder down.
They must have felt something was amiss seeing a ladder that is usually stored away hanging down.
"...It's me."
I had no choice but to announce myself and descend the ladder.
Climbing down to the first floor, I caught sight of the person standing in the gloom.
"Sakuya-kun, it's you."
"Sorry to startle you, Lyle-san."
"...At this hour, what are you doing in a place like this?"
Lyle, who is usually loud, unusually lowered his voice now.
"I'm sorry. I heard this was Eliseo-san's atelier, so I wondered if there might be some hint to the case here."
I hesitated for a moment on how to answer, but decided to reveal the truth as it was. In reality, there was no other way to smooth over this situation.
"I'll apologize to Lou and Ursna-san later. Why are you here, Lyle-san?"
"I saw a silhouette heading towards this atelier from a window in the mansion! Thinking it was suspicious, I abandoned my half-drunk wine and chased after it, but I'm truly relieved it wasn't the Siren! Though, if it were a beautiful Siren, I'd welcome her."
His joke softened the atmosphere.
"However, it seemed the lock was open; did you open it? As expected of a detective. Do you perhaps have secret tools for unlocking hidden on you?"
"Umm, that is—"
Since that was Chardina's doing, I hesitated whether to dutifully correct him on that point. But if I said that, I would have to reveal Chardina, who was still hiding in the attic.
If questioned about what I was doing conspiring with that great sinner, things seemed likely to get even more complicated.
Here, let's casually divert the conversation.
"More importantly, Lyle-san, please look at this. I found Eliseo-san's journal."
I showed him the journal I was holding.
"A journal? Such a thing existed. So, did you find anything out?"
"Yes. It's surprising. It seems he had a spectacular past that no one knew about."
I spread the journal on the desk and touched upon the important parts of the content while illuminating it with the penlight.
"It seems he went through a terrible experience surrounding the creation of a secret elixir called 'Sea-Wraiths'..."
"Sea... Wraiths."
"Yes. Apparently, it's something terrible. Somehow... just somehow, but maybe the hidden karma of the past has something to do with this case."
I turned the pages of the journal fervently in the dark.
"I see. You've learned the truth, huh. Just as expected of a detective."
"Please don't praise me."
"By the way, you came here alone? Is that beautiful girl, Lilitea, not with you? You seemed to always be together."
"Umm, she seemed to be sleeping."
"I see."
"By the way, Lyle-san. Did I mention that I was a detective?"
When I asked that in the flow of conversation, there was a momentary pause before his reply.
"You did! Did you forget?"
"No. I didn't say it. Also, I still don't understand the reason why you came all the way to a place like this alone."
"Like I said, I saw a silhouette."
"You shut yourself in your room because you couldn't trust anyone. You said that, yet just because you saw a silhouette, you came alone to this atelier where a killer might be?"
Again, a pause. This time, it was a long silence that couldn't be called a coincidence.
"Didn't you come here with some objective from the start? And you just happened to run into me."
Trying desperately to gloss things over—the other party was doing the same.
"Lyle-san, who are you?"
"I am me! Sakuya-kun, what's gotten into you!"
Thinking back, there were odd points from the beginning.
"You said you were a gem merchant. But when we first shook hands, your hand had a strange feel. I didn't mind it much then, but thinking back now, those were calluses peculiar to someone who handles weapons."
I saw Lyle, who had been standing still, slowly clench his right hand.
"Specifically speaking, guns—or something."
Guns. A trade tool unnecessary for a gem merchant.
Why he needs to pile up lies, I don't know yet. But it was clear that he wasn't ordinary.
"Why did you lie like that? Lyle-san... who are you? What purpose did you have for coming to this island?"
Lyle's expression crumbled as if he had been told an amusing story. And then, as if tearing it up and throwing it away, he spat out:
"I came to take the treasure, you see."
"Treasure...?"
What does he mean?
"The Sea-Wraiths. And it seems the journal you found likely contains important information to find it."
Sea-Wraiths. The secret elixir secretly developed in the northern lands long ago.
Lyle is seeking that?
And—in the instant my brain cells looked away, Lyle closed the distance as if swimming through the darkness.
"Ah!?"
As I turned to put distance between us, he circled behind me with terrifying speed. By the time I realized it, my neck was already perfectly choked by his arm.
Unexpected speed.
"Guh...!"
"Regarding your question earlier, you didn't say it. That you were a detective. Oitsuki Tatsuya's son."
Lyle's thick upper arm wrapped around like a giant snake.
"Wh... Why... that...!?"
"Because that name roars in the underworld in various ways. You coming to Gallery Island, was it really just a coincidence? You didn't come to retrieve it upon a request from another source, did you?"
Another source? What is he talking about?
"Well, either way is fine. Since you've learned about the Sea-Wraiths, I have no choice but to erase you. I liked you, though."
"You... just... who..."
No matter how I struggled, I couldn't escape Lyle's arm. This is a chokehold without hesitation by a human who thoroughly understands the structure and weaknesses of the human body.
"Did you... kill... everyone...!"
"Everyone? Ah, Dmitri and Ivan. You mean my beloved family."
Those words of his sounded terribly hollow.
"Wrong. That wasn't me. Someone else did it. Pros only do the minimum necessary killing. For example, killing you like this now is an unavoidable, reluctant job."
Wrong...?
The Siren's true identity isn't Lyle...?
Then who on earth—
"I won't lay a hand on your companions, so rest easy. As long as they don't sniff around me recklessly, that is. By the way, Sakuya-kun, your companion... Miss Yuriu, is that girl... free?"
Why does Yuriu's name come up there?
When I'm on the verge of death, what is this guy...
"No, it's embarrassing, but I feel like I might get a bit serious about her. Maybe I'll try... approaching her later. Hehe."
While strangling me to death, Lyle says things like a lovestruck boy.
Is he mocking me? Or is he serious—
"What are... you... Who... are..."
To my squeezed-out question, he answered with a phrasing that contained some humor.
"A treasure hunter."
Trea... what the hell is that.
"Sakuya-kun, you were killed by the Siren. Let's go with that. Somehow unforeseen killings are continuing on this island, but I'll take advantage of that flow and use the sea legend or whatever. And once I get what I'm after, I'll say a quick goodbye to this island I have no ties to."
The next instant, by Lyle's brilliant handiwork, my neck was bent in an impossible direction, and like a breaker tripping, my consciousness cut off and I was summoned.
Summoned to heaven or hell or wherever.
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