Chapter 3: Chapter - 1 [Jack the Ripper] Pays a Visit!
Christina woke up in the Hope family's mansion in the royal capital of Midgar.
Whether she sleeps in the dormitory or the mansion depends on her mood that day. But recently, she has been sleeping at the mansion.
It's not a matter of mood. It's for self-defense.
"Morning already…"
Christina looked up noticing the morning sun leaking through the curtain gaps.
There were slight dark circles under her eyes. She seemed to have been absorbed in compiling information on the case.
Christina put down her pen on the desk and stretched big.
Then she picked up the documents and sighed deeply.
"It will be difficult to prove guilty…"
The documents summarized the case overview and testimonies, but Eliza's crime is expected to be treated as an accident rather than a criminal case.
In a situation where teenage students were caught up in a life-threatening terrorist attack and experienced great stress, they lost their calm and an unfortunate accident occurred as a result.
That seems to be the story.
"The concealment and fabrication of evidence is the work of Count Goethe-Mono. I didn't know the Thirteen Night Blades had this much influence."
Fabricating and concealing evidence is easy for them, and they would readily commit murder if necessary.
In fact, Christina also feels an ominous presence around her. That's why she started sleeping at the mansion.
"Corruption is progressing. My power alone is not enough. Even if I use the Hope family's power…"
Father was not enthusiastic about getting involved in this case. He said, what good will it do to help the daughter of a lowly noble family?
Everyone turns a blind eye to corruption.
The rampancy of the Thirteen Night Blades is allowed precisely because they are powerful.
"My Power is…not enough."
Authority, military might, financial resources, organizational power… As long as you have power, anything is permitted. That is the reality of this country.
"What good will it do to help the daughter of a lowly noble family…"
It will do no good.
The world will not change.
As a noblewoman, I could understand that my father was right.
But that doesn't make me feel convinced emotionally.
The powerlessness of not being able to condemn those who are blatantly committing evil deeds.
And the disappointment in myself for not even being able to lend a hand to the girl seeking help.
Christina did not know how to deal with these feelings.
If I had power, would I be able to cut off evil?
For example… Yes, like Shadow.
Christina imagined it. Him mowing down the Thirteen Night Blades with his overwhelming power. Severing evil, saving the weak, and protecting the country.
Christina then chided herself for thinking that far.
"….I should stop."
It just made her feel miserable.
She breathed out largely and relaxed her tired eyes.
To change her mood, Christina put away the documents related to Eliza and the Night Blades. Then she took out another set of documents.
"Shadow…and Shadow Garden…"
The new documents Christina took out were the ones she investigated on Shadow Garden.
The new documents Christina took out were the ones she investigated on Shadow Garden.
"Shadow Garden seems to have started activities over a year ago, but the details are unclear. It appears Shadow was the leader of the organization back then as well…but again, the details are unclear. There are just so many unclear parts."
She flipped through the documents
There were numerous wanted posters and articles were pasted like scrapbook.
"There's not enough information from the northern part of the kingdom. Even though Shadow's exploits have been confirmed over there too. There are still few portraits of him, and the quality is bad."
While grumbling complaints, Christina's complexion seemed to improve as she viewed the documents.
"He shoulders a great mission. To accomplish that, he walks the blood-soaked path and can no longer stay in the world touched by the sun….But unlike me, they severed evil."
And she chided herself again.
The room door was suddenly knocked.
"Enter."
A middle-aged man entered the room.
Christina maximized her swordsmanship skill and pushed the documents into the drawer at an overwhelming speed.
"Father….Good morning."
"Are you short of sleep, Christina?"
"No, just thinking about some things. Do you need something, Father?"
"You should know already, but don't do anything to anger the Thirteen Night Blades. If you oppose them, troublesome things will happen."
"…Yes."
Christina nodded slightly without a word. That was the least resistance she could show.
"Things will get busy from now on. If you act rashly, who knows what will happen to the Hope family."
"Father, what do you mean it will get busy?"
"Oh, I didn't mention it?"
Father sighed and said,
"Goethe-Mono is dead."
"What…?"
"All the nobles are in an uproar. The Night Blades are furious, I hear. The capital will be in turmoil."
After seeing her father off, Christina hurriedly changed her clothes and headed to the crime scene.
Alexia was walking down the hallway in the Mono mansion.
"Blood footsteps here as well…"
Dark reddish footsteps continued on the carpet.
"Princess Alexia, please don't touch it. It's still evidence…"
"I know that much."
Alexia glared at the supervising knight.
"Princess Alexia!!"
Alexia turned around hearing the voice calling her.
"Christina."
It was Christina, whom she got to know from the incident.
"I heard Count Goethe-Mono is dead… What happened?"
She said catching her breath.
"It seems he was killed by someone. The knights are examining the crime scene now."
"I see…"
"I can't enter the crime scene yet, so I'm looking around the hallway."
"The hallway?"
"Yes. Don't you find these footsteps strange?"
Alexia pointed at the bloody footsteps continuing down the hallway.
"They're very clear footprints"
"Not just that, even stranger is that the culprit is not in a hurry at all. Even after killing so many, he's just walking normally."
Alexia started walking with the same stride as the bloody footprints.
"It even looks like he's walking slowly."
"That's odd, isn't it. Normally, you'd want to escape quickly. He can't be in his right mind."
"Maybe he was confident he wouldn't get caught?"
"….That's not a bad guess."
"What do you mean?"
"Count Goethe-Mono was silenced by the [Thirteen Night Blades]."
"That's…!"
"Because he stood out too much in this case. It wouldn't be surprising for him to be disposed of."
"But why now of all times…"
"That's what's puzzling…."
When our thoughts got stuck, the supervising knight stopped Alexia.
"Princess Alexia, you now have permission to enter the scene."
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
Alexia and the others were guided by the person in charge of the knights.
"I'm the person in charge of this scene, Investigation Division Chief Gray of the Knights. Please be careful not to touch the bodies or move anything."
"I know already."
"I will get back to work. Let me know if you need anything."
"Yes."
Upon entering the room, the first thing they felt was the strong smell of blood.
That was only natural.
Multiple bodies were left placed in front of the door, and further inside, Count Goethe-Mono was lying on his back with blood flowing from his head.
"The cause of death is a single blow between the eyebrows. But the murder weapon is unusual…"
Alexia squatted next to the body and said.
The knights were still working busily around them.
Christina was standing dumbfounded at the entrance of the room.
"Christina, what's wrong? You can come in."
"Huh? Oh, yes."
Christina snapped out of it and hurried inside.
"If you're feeling sick, you should go home."
"No, I'm fine. What's stuck in the head of the body is…a playing card, right? It has an unusual design."
Christina tilted her head and said.
"A high-quality playing card made by Mitsugoshi Company. Probably a limited edition item."
"We might be able to identify the purchaser."
"I wonder about that. Even a company Mitsugoshi's size would sell thousands of limited edition items."
"We might be able to identify the purchaser."
"I wonder about that. Even a company Mitsugoshi's size would sell thousands of limited edition items."
"It will take time to investigate… The ace of spades…"
Looking down at Count Goethe, Christina murmured.
The count had died with eyes wide open and a dumbfounded expression.
Stuck between his eyebrows was the ace of spades playing card.
The skeletal knight in the illustration seemed to foreshadow his death.
"Why go through the trouble of using a playing card… Count Goethe was an excellent student at the Magic Swordsman Academy. To split the eyebrows of an excellent magic swordsman with just a paper playing card requires considerable magical power."
"The magical conduction rate of ordinary paper is less than 10%. It's incomparable to mythril. To overcome the resistance, advanced magic power control techniques would also be necessary. Why go through such a roundabout process?"
"I don't know. But the image of the culprit can be narrowed down somewhat. Someone with a large amount of magical power who can perform advanced magic power control."
"In that case, it may not just be a simple murder. Normally, no one would go through the trouble of using playing cards."
"They'd use more efficient means."
"It seems there was some intention behind it. With the playing card and the footprints, there are many mysteries. Maybe it's some kind of code only the related people would understand…"
"A warning, grudge, some kind of message…it's possible."
The two pondered in front of the body for a while.
The silence was broken by the knights' voices.
"There was an eyewitness!? Is that true?"
The crime scene chief Gray said.
"Yes. It appears some of the servants had only fainted. A few who regained consciousness witnessed the culprit."
"So what did the culprit look like?"
Alexia and Christina also listened in on the conversation.
"That's…apparently it was a blood-soaked clown."
"What? A clown?"
"A blood-soaked clown suddenly appeared before their eyes, and the next moment everything went pitch black. When they came to, it was morning. All the eyewitnesses are giving similar testimonies, so it seems certain."
"….They don't know the face?"
"Yes. He had a clown mask on. They said he looked tall, but that may have just been because of the costume."
"Any other information?"
"No… We're still investigating around the area but no other eyewitnesses have been found yet."
"Keep asking around. If he was in a clown costume, he should stand out. Honestly, what a crazy bastard."
Chief Gray saw off his subordinate and sighed.
"A clown costume and playing cards as the murder weapon. It's a baffling case."
"Oh, if it isn't Princess Alexia. Eavesdropping is poor manners."
Chief Gray frowned.
"Chief Gray, what do you make of this? The culprit seems to have left some kind of message intentionally."
"Princess Alexia, there's no need to overthink it so much. This is a simple case."
"Simple?"
"The culprit is a rich person who held a grudge against Count Goethe. He hired a skilled assassin with a lot of money, but that guy was a deranged killer. That's all there is to it. Amateurs tend to overcomplicate cases, but human motives are always simple. Culprits who leave messages behind only exist in Natsume sensei's novels. Don't tell me Princess Alexia is also a fan of Natsume sensei's Charlock Holmes series?"
"No, I'm not…"
"They are interesting works, aren't they. I have the complete collection myself. But that's fiction, so it's interesting, whereas reality is…"
"That's not it at all! Why would I like that woman's…!"
"Oh my, don't tell me Princess Alexia is a Conyan fan instead. The famous detective who turned into a kitten by drugs…"
"No, you're wrong! I'm just worried there might be more to this case!!"
"I see. Then there's no need to worry. As I said earlier, the culprit's image has already solidified. A rich person who held a grudge against Count Goethe…for example, young lady Christina over there."
Chief Gray said with a confident grin.
"But that's not true of me!"
"You seem agitated. But I'm not the only one suspicious of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Those people, as you can imagine."
"The Night Blades…"
"Well, I should get back to work now. I need to gather evidence to catch the culprit after all."
Turning his back, Chief Gray left his final line.
"There is always only one truth… Please read Natsume sensei's works, they are quite interesting."
Laughing loudly, Chief Gray disappeared from sight.
"It's an undeniable fact that Count Goethe-Mono's death benefits Christina."
"But that's not me!"
"Of course I know that. But that's how it looks to the public. You need to be careful."
"The Night Blades will have their eyes on you."
"If only I could have helped a little more… Royals intervening in judicial matters is not looked upon favorably."
"No, I understand Princess Alexia's situation well. It's enough if you can provide favorable testimony."
"I'm sorry."
"It's true that the death of Count Goethe is undeniably advantageous for me. I intend to think carefully and strategize."
"It might even help your case."
Christina nodded.
"Princess Alexia, there's something I'd like you to see."
"What is it?"
Led by Christina, Alexia moved to the desk of Count Goethe.
"There are traces of spilled coffee on the desk."
"Yes. The cup is broken and scattered. It's normal for the contents to spill onto the desk."
"The shape is the issue. It's in the form of a neat rectangle."
"I see! Something was placed here. Like documents…"
"Coffee spilled on top of documents, which someone then took away. And the coffee left a rectangular trace, as if it had been cut out. It's only natural to think that way."
"No one should have moved anything at the crime scene."
"In that case, it could be the culprit, or perhaps the knight order."
In a hushed voice, Christina said. Alexia's face grew stern.
"It might be dangerous to trust the knight order. Let's both be cautious."
"Yes. Princess Alexia, too."
The two of them continued to look at the scene for a while and then parted ways.
That afternoon after school.
Christina was waiting for Kanade in the Midgar Academy classroom to discuss the case.
Kanade was the girl who exposed Eliza's misdeeds in the white fog incident. Naturally, she had incurred hatred and was eyed with hostility by the Night Blades.
"S-Sorry to keep you waiting, Christina."
Kanade seemed nervous and fearful.
There were still a few students left in the classroom getting ready to leave, but the possibility of Ducratican faction taking extreme measures was considerable.
"Kanade, did you hear about this morning's incident?"
"Yes, of course. I can't believe Count Goethe-Mono ended up like that…"
"The situation has changed now. For better or worse."
"For worse?"
"Yes. You'll definitely be targeted."
"Wha…!?"
Kanade's face turned pale.
"Until now, you have been unharmed because the Dacuaican faction had room to spare. But with Count Goethe's death, the situation has changed,"
"You mean…the situation has become disadvantageous for them?"
"Yes. They can't just keep up appearances anymore. Of course, I might be targeted too. So Kanade, I have a proposal…"
Just as Christina was about to continue,
"Wha-! What is this!?"
A pathetic male student's voice echoed through the classroom.
"What's wrong?"
Christina called out to the male student who had shouted.
Only Christina, Kanade, and the pathetic boy who had let out the miserable scream remained in the classroom.
"M-Miss Christina…"
The black-haired boy turned around in a panic.
He was holding some documents.
"You're Miss Claire's brother…Cid Kagenou, right?"
Christina squeezed her memory to recall his name.
While ordinary, he was a figure who came up in various conversations, so she barely remembered him.
"Y-Yes. Look at this. It was dropped here."
"What is it…"
The documents were dirty and stained.
There were two types of stains. Black stains, and dark reddish-black stains.
A faint scent of coffee emanated from the black stains, and from the dark reddish-black stains…the smell of blood.
"This is…!"
The moment she took the documents in hand, Christina's expression tightened.
Detailed there were the sequence of events surrounding Eliza Dacuaican's incident, the expenses used to cover it up, and content that implied the interests and relations of the parties involved.
Without a doubt, these were the documents that should have been lost at Count Goethe's murder scene.
Christina hurriedly confirmed no one else was around.
"Cid, where did you get these?"
Speaking in a hushed voice, Christina talked.
"Um, it was sticking out of that shelf over there…I thought someone might have forgotten it…"
It was a shelf provided in the classroom, partitioned for each student. Cid was pointing to Christina's shelf.
"In my shelf…!?"
"Oh, so it was Miss Christina's shelf. Sorry for taking it without permission…"
"No, I'm glad you noticed."
"You're right. Good thing I didn't forget it."
"Cid, did you look at the contents?"
"Huh? Oh, just a quick glance…
"I see…so you saw it."
Christina's voice grew quieter.
"Um, was it something I shouldn't have seen?"
"Yes, the contents were something you shouldn't have seen."
"Since I only glanced at it briefly, it's practically the same as not seeing it at all. Well, I'll be going now…"
"Wait!"
With unexpectedly swift movement, Christina grabbed Cid by the scruff of his neck as he tried to leave.
"Unfortunately, I can't let you leave."
"Huh…how tyrannical."
Cid spoke resentfully.
"I'm saying this for your sake. I don't want you getting your head chopped off in your sleep."
"You plan on chopping off my head?"
"I won't chop it. But who knows who might be watching. If they find out you saw this, they will undoubtedly come to chop it without fail."
"They? I don't really get it, but isn't it also bad to leave documents like this in a classroom shelf?"
"I didn't put it there."
"Huh?"
"I don't recall putting a document like this in my shelf."
"Then who…"
"Someone who wanted me to see these documents."
A quiet unease seeped into the air, inexpressible in words.
Someone had taken important documents from the murder scene and specifically delivered them to Christina's shelf at the academy.
Perhaps that person was still monitoring nearby even at this very moment.
It was an ill omen, but with the motives and identity unknown, it was creepy.
"Oh look, something seems to be written here."
Cid suddenly said such a thing.
"Written…what is…"
From Cid's position, he should only be able to see the back of the documents.
"On the back in that dark reddish stain…doesn't it look like letters if you look closely?"
"This is…!?"
Flipping the documents over, there were indeed letters written there in blood as he said.
The blood made it hard to read, but…
"Jack the Ripper. A name, perhaps…"
"Maybe the person who put the documents in Miss Christina's shelf?"
"Just who are they…why leave these documents for me…"
Christina swallowed her breath, lost in thought.
"Well, I guess it's about time I head home."
"Wait."
Once again, as he tried to escape, Christina caught him.
"Um, my sister is unconscious and I'm worried about her, so I want to keep watch over her as soon as possible…"
"I know about your sister. But for your safety, I can't let you go home."
"I can protect myself so…"
"With your grades, it would be faster to count from the bottom. I'm saying this for your sake."
"Even if you say that…"
Christina turned away, ignoring Cid.
"Kanade can't go home starting today either."
"Huh, me too?"
Kanade raised her voice in surprise.
"That's right. This is something I intended to propose from the start, but beginning today, I'd like you two to live at the Hope estate annex."
"Uh…"
"Hooray! Now I can rest easy!"
Their reactions varied.
"This is unavoidable for your safety. The Hope estate annex can provide security."
"Uh…"
"Thank you very much, Miss Christina!"
"Well then, let's gather your belongings and head to the annex, shall we?"
And so the three would begin living together.
I have some loose rules I follow when killing people.
One is to avoid killing pitiful people as much as possible.
And another rule is that it's generally okay to kill villains.
"Yeah, no problem."
That was me confirming I'm living according to my rules today.
"There were some unexpected things."
As a result, I'm now in the parlor of Miss Christina's home.
"Would you like some, Cid? It's super-premium coffee made by Mitsugoshi. You may not have the chance to drink it for the rest of your life, so you should drink a lifetime's worth!"
Gone was the fearful demeanor from the classroom as the impoverished aristocrat, Kanade, boldly sipped her coffee. She was a normally cute girl with black hair and eyes, and she had a short haircut.
"You can have my share too."
Gamma had sent an amount that was beyond what I could consume.
"Really? You're the best, Cid!"
Receiving such a casual "the best" from her, I sighed deeply as I sank into the sofa.
I never expected to stay at Christina's house.
As a mob character, I pondered whether it was a good idea, but Kanade, who was on the verge of emptying a lifetime's worth of coffee, was the very essence of a mob character, so there was no problem.
"Yeah, it's not a problem."
It seemed I was living a problem-free life today as well.
"Cid, can I have some chocolate too?"
"Chocolate is a no-go."
"Aww, you're so stingy, Cid."
I quickly rescued my portion of chocolate from Kanade's hand.
These were the newly released premium matcha truffles. Gamma had sent me a prototype last month. I heard reservations were fully booked for a year in advance, so it was quite an accomplishment to acquire these.
This was the power of a grand noble family… I couldn't help but envy it.
"The sofa is from Mitsugoshi's luxury furniture brand… The chandelier, the rug, the tableware, all part of Mitsugoshi's luxury line…"
How much of a Mitsugoshi maniac was she? Or rather, how extensively did the Mitsugoshi Company operate?
As I savored the matcha truffle, there was a knock on the door of the reception room.
"Come in."
It was Christina.
"I appreciate your hospitality on this occasion!"
With an astonishingly swift change in demeanor, Kanade deeply bowed.
"Please, no need to be so formal. The room is ready, so I'll show you."
Following Christina, I stepped out into the hallway.
It was an opulent mansion that was beyond comparison to the impoverished Baron Kageno family, with beautiful carpets, wall and ceiling decorations, and numerous artworks displayed in the hallway.
"Seventeen million… fifty-four million… ninety million… two hundred million…"
Kanade, who walked beside me, muttered in a hushed voice.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? You heard me?"
"Yeah."
"I was trying to estimate how much the art pieces are worth."
Hmm.
That vase Kanade said was worth 200 million, I etched it firmly into my memory.
"This is the dining room. We'll be eating here tonight. Next to it is…"
Miss Christina showed us around the mansion in a familiar manner . Then going up the spiral staircase, she stopped in front of the double doors. Two guards with swords were there by the doors.
"This room."
Saying that, she opened the doors revealing a spacious bedroom inside.
"Wow~! It's like a princess's room!"
Kanade dashed excitedly towards the bed.
"Um…"
"Cid, your bed is the furthest left."
Miss Christina specified.
"Um…"
"Your bed, Cid, is the far-left one."
Christina pointed it out.
"Hey, why are there three beds?"
I shot out the question that welled up the moment I entered the room.
"Because there are three of us."
Christina counted me, her, and Kanade with her fingers.
"I see, there certainly are three of us."
"It's more efficient security-wise if the protection targets are grouped."
Hmmm.
A convincing reason.
"Even though we're in the same room, your bed is partitioned off with that bookshelf from mine. That should be plenty."
"Cid's grades are at the bottom in practical skills, and I'm a hundred times stronger! If you try anything weird I'll beat you black and blue! Swish swish!"
Kanade took on a cocky attitude, striking fighting poses while hopping on the bed.
"I know already."
I raised my hands in surrender and sat on my bed. My luggage from the dorm was placed beside it.
In order from the window, me, Miss Christina, Kanade.
"By the window furthest from the door huh. The first to die position if something happens, suits the poor noble house."
I muttered softly.
"You're least likely to be targeted, Cid."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean any ill will."
Rather, I was happy.
"There are two guards at the door, and three under the window. All skilled veterans who've participated in the Bushin Festival tournaments."
"I see."
"You can rest easy. It's much safer than the dorms."
"If you say so. But can I ask, what happened this morning? You told me the general things on the way here, but…"
So I asked.
"I see."
"Ah, excuse me, I need to use the…bathroom for a sec."
Kanade said. No doubt because of drinking too much coffee.
"There's a bathroom and toilet in the room next door."
"Okay!"
Seeing Kanade rush out, Christina began talking.
"Count Goethe Mono was killed by someone. It'll probably be a topic at the academy tomorrow too."
"What!! A murder!? How dreadful. And come to think of it, there was a name written in blood on those documents…"
"Most likely the documents lost from the crime scene."
"To think…how horrifying. Writing with blood, nothing more fiendish."
"Count Goethe was killed in an unusual way too. This isn't a simple murder. The criminal is moving with some kind of objective in mind."
"To think an ordinary student like me got caught up in such a heinous crime…"
"I won't be able to sleep tonight from the fear of my life being targeted…"
"Sorry you got dragged into this, but there's no helping it. You might be targeted too."
"Cid, ... "
Miss Christina stroked my shivering back.
From the gap in the window, the cold night wind crept in.
Kanade returned from the toilet and the three of us had a late dinner.
It was a lavish meal with dishes based from a luxury recipe book published by the Mitsugoshi Company. I was surprised when sushi-like dishes that from a fish looked like salmon came out. It had been ages since I saw sushi.
"The dishes were so novel and delicious!"
Kanade seemed excited after returning to the room.
"You can't go wrong with the Mitsugoshi Company's recipe books. Try them at home too, Kanade."
"Uh!? But, I can't afford expensive ingredients and stuff…"
"There are books using inexpensive ingredients too. I think there was one with tuna burgers and such, using fish that used to be thrown away…"
And so, the food culture of this world was corroded.
We continued chatting in the room with the energy of kids on a school trip.
After a while, as the fireplace crackled, Christina put out the lights in the room one by one.
"I guess we should sleep soon. I talked too much from enjoying it so much."
"Nooo, I wanna talk more-"
Despite her complaints, Kanade got into her futon.
"Good night."
I followed Kanade into my futon.
"Good night you two."
Just as Christina said that, there was a knock at the door and a maid entered.
"Miss Christina, the Master is requesting you."
"…You two go ahead and sleep. I'll talk with Father and be back."
"Got it."
"Zzz."
Kanade was already asleep.
"Hey Cid…"
Christina looked back at me from the door with a piercing gaze.
"Hm? What's up?"
"Have we met somewhere before?"
"The classroom."
"No, not that. I felt like we've talked somewhere before."
"Hmm, don't think so."
"The atmosphere…you remind me of someone…sorry for suddenly asking something weird."
Christina smiled as if to brush it off and left the bedroom.
–Late at night.
Christina was in her father's study.
"This is bad."
Her father's hands shook as he looked over the documents.
"With this evidence, we can push the trial in our favor. We can convict Eliza Dacuaican."
"I know that!"
Her father slammed the desk and yelled loudly.
"We'll turn the Night Blades against us. This all happened because you took it upon yourself to protect lower nobles…!"
"Father, the Night Blades has already set its eyes on the Hope house. With Count Goethe's murder, our house benefits the most."
"And that's exactly why they watch us, because you keep sticking your nose into other's business! Don't tell me you were the one who…Count Goethe…?"
Her father's gaze turned from anger to one mixed with fear towards Christina.
"No! I didn't lay a hand on him. Count Goethe was killed by Jack the Ripper."
"B-But still…"
"Father, let's help Kanade. Use this evidence to convict Eliza Dacuaican. That will weaken the Night Blades, and the nobles siding with us will increase."
"No, think of it the other way around. If we send the evidence to the Night Blades from here, they might target us…"
"Even if someone who knows the secret is involved?"
"Ugh… No, wait. I heard that you invited that lower noble."
"Yes, Kanade is staying with us."
"Great. If we hand that person over to the Night Blades, it should show our sincerity…!"
"I won't let you. If you do, even if it's your father, I won't forgive you."
"Are you defying me, Christina?! I am the head of the Hope family!"
Christina glared at her father, who had raised his voice.
And it was her father who averted his gaze first.
"I'll handle this matter for now. Since we don't know the true identity of Jack the Ripper, there is a possibility of a trap. We also need to verify the evidence."
"Father…!"
"If Count Goethe-Mono has been killed, the Thirteen Night Blades will undoubtedly act. Next, it will probably be Count Kuzaya and Baron Graham."
"Both are strong fighters."
"They are two of the younger members of the Thirteen Night Blades. That's why we don't know what they might do. I'm sorry, but I still don't want to die."
Saying that, her father left with some documents in hand.
Christina gazed at the flickering fire in the fireplace and sighed.
"So, that's the grand nobles of this country… everything is so corrupt."
Christina laughed as if she had given up.
"Ridiculous… My father, who can only gauge the Night Blades' mood, and I, who have no power… "
Why did Jack the Ripper put evidence in my locker? I've arrived at one conjecture.
"Tell me to convict them. For that, I need evidence of the Night Blades' misdeeds…"
But Christina couldn't do anything.
To make the evidence acknowledged, she needed power, and she had none. If someone without power brandished evidence, they would only be crushed.
"If only I had the power…"
It would be so satisfying to eradicate the parasites infesting this country.
Suddenly, the face of Count Goethe-Mono came to mind. A playing card was stuck in his head, and his eyes were wide open in a foolish expression.
"Hehe…"
Christina laughed.
Until Alexia approached her, Christina had been lost in thought while staring his death face.
A small laugh echoed in the late-night study.
Count Kuzaya and Baron Graham were discussing in a dimly lit secret room.
"I assume we still don't know the culprit in the Goethe-Mono case?"
Count Kuzaya said while puffing on a cigar.
"All the eyewitness testimonies are about Clown. Damn jokers."
Baron Graham spoke as if spitting it out.
"It's quite a well-prepared act. All the eyewitness information vanishes midway. Even with our skilled magic trace tracking team, we couldn't track their footsteps."
"It's a professional job."
"Yeah. Goethe-Mono had hired sufficient protection, but all of them were killed with a single strike. It's safe to assume the ability is at the level of a Knight Order Captain."
"It could be someone from the lawless city. There was that assassination organization, 'Zetsurou (Absolute Wolf)' there, right?"
"If it's 'Zetsurou,' their ability should be more than enough. But I've never heard of a Clown assassin."
"Perhaps it's a newcomer?"
"Who knows. But even if we don't know Clown's true identity, we can guess who hired them."
Count Kuzaya spread some documents on the table.
"There are several candidates, but the Hope family is especially suspicious. However, there's no evidence."
"That's a shame. Is there no evidence at all?"
Graham said, with a wicked smile.
"Just kill them as usual. If you give them a little pain, they'll talk about anything."
"Don't rush. What if we're wrong?"
"Huh, just create the evidence. A dead man can't talk, right?"
"The opponent is the Hope family. Cleaning up afterward is a hassle."
"Huh? Haven't we been killing big nobles until now?"
"We haven't. You should know that the Fenrir Faction has been destroyed."
"The Fenrir Faction? Oh, right, they're the religious group that was supporting the Thirteen Night Blades, right?"
"That's right. Because of the Shadow Garden's attack on them, it's become difficult for the cult to support us. Negotiations are currently underway with another faction. Until that's settled, we have to act carefully."
"Such a hassle. It's just a religious group that's been destroyed."
"You don't know anything. The power and terror of the cult…"
At Kuzaya's earnest voice, Graham swallowed.
As if to hide his agitation, he spat it out.
"Tch, Goethe's death has made things complicated."
"Don't get impatient. We'll continue monitoring the Hope family until we receive further instructions."
"Big brother, Christina is quite a beauty, isn't she? If we're going to kill the Hope family, let me have her."
"Do as you like. But make sure to clean up afterward."
"Big brother, you're the best!"
Baron Graham burst into vulgar laughter.
"Gehaha… gehahahahaha…"
"Hey, keep it down, Graham."
"Sorry, big brother."
"…Gehaha… gehahahahaha…"
In the dim underground room, eerie laughter echoed.
Baron Graham had already lost his smile. Count Kuzaya set down his cigar with a stern expression.
"Hey… Someone's here."
Count Kuzaya said with a deep voice.
In the dimly lit secret room, there were only the two of them, Count Kuzaya and Baron Graham. Only a limited number of people knew about this room.
"Gheeheeheeheehehehehe."
However, laughter could be heard coming from within this room.
Both men drew their swords, alert.
"Don't underestimate us. Come out, you bastard!"
Kuzaya barked.
"Gheehehehehe."
The laughter continued to echo from within the room.
They strained their ears to locate the source of the voice. It wasn't from the right, left, front, or back. Then, both of them looked up.
At that moment, something pierced through the air.
A dark red liquid fell, creating a stain on the table. The strong smell of blood pierced their noses.
They looked up at the ceiling.
There, a blood-soaked Clown clung to it.
"Hehehehehe."
The Clown looked down on them and laughed.
"You!?"
"Clown!?"
Kuzaya and Graham quickly swung their swords above their heads.
Known for their combat skills, their movements were polished. Their swords cut through the Clown, splashing blood in the process.
Splat!
The blood-soaked Clown fell onto the table.
"Kill it!"
Kuzaya and Graham swung their swords, laughing.
With each swing of their swords, a large amount of blood flowed from the Clown.
Gradually, the spasmodic laughter of the Clown faded away.
"…Is it dead?"
Kuzaya asked, looking down at the gruesomely slain Clown.
"Did this one kill Goethe? Just a lousy clown. Or maybe I've become too strong."
Graham wiped the blood off his sword, looking pleased.
"Well, I used to be famous during the Bushin Festival back then. We're different from Goethe's bodyguards. You made a big mistake."
Kuzaya, too, had a smile on his face. He felt like he had regained his old edge.
"Now, now, Mr. Clown. What kind of face are you making…"
Graham tried to remove Clown's mask while laughing.
"Hey! Graham!"
"What's up, big brother?"
He turned around with a bored expression.
"W-wait, on your… head…"
"What about my head? ""
"There's a playing card stuck in the back of your head…"
"Huh?"
Graham hurriedly touched the back of his head.
A playing card was deeply embedded in the back of his head, and he wiped the blood that was flowing down his neck in astonishment.
"Oh, big brother… What's the, the card doing on the back of your head…"
While saying that, he slowly collapsed forward.
The playing card at the back of his head was the two of spades.
Looking down at the convulsing Graham, a presence slowly rose.
It was the blood-soaked Clown.
"Why… are you still alive?"
Kuzaya was visibly trembling as he looked at the Clown, who had survived despite the obvious fatal injuries.
Kuzaya started to step back.
Picha, the Clown advanced.
"Wait, what's your aim?"
Picha, Picha, the Clown continued its approach.
"Is it money? Who's your employer? How much did they pay you?"
Picha, Picha, Picha.
"Wait! I'll double it! Money, women, anything you want!"
Thud, there was a light impact on Kuzaya's back.
He had backed up to a wall without realizing it, retreating to the edge of the room.
"Don't come any closer! I fighter with Bushin-style master's license!"
Picha, Picha, Picha, Picha.
"If you get in my range, you won't get away easily!"
With a sharp determination, Kuzaya swung his sword.
This was the range he excelled in.
In Kuzaya's mind, he saw the moment when the Clown's head would fly.
However, the sword cut through the air.
"You… evaded at that distance."
The Clown had merely taken a half step back.
But its movements defied the principles of the human body, exceeding the limits of reaction time.
"What on earth are you…?"
A sharp sound.
"Ah…"
A playing card was thrust into Kuzaya's throat.
The card was the three of spades.
He coughed up blood and swung his sword.
The sword grazed the Clown's nose and struck the floor.
"M… Monster…"
Kuzaya fell forward, spitting blood, and eventually became motionless.
Then the blood-soaked Clown lifted the two lifeless bodies and vanished into the night's darkness.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Yuichi_Aragi
Yuichi_Aragi \\ Illustration are in comment \\
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone