Our first order of business was to investigate the murder scene.
　We didn't have the authority to investigate or anything, but we got Teene's permission, so it shouldn't be a problem.

So you guys are staying, after all.
Well, you know.
Oh, I'm just trying to prove that I didn't do it!

　Apparently, British Dandy and Anna are also joining the investigation.
　That's not exactly what I expected.

But why would you?
Heh. I guess I'm just curious!

　It is a gothic lollipop girl who delivers such inappropriate lines with a smile. She must be a candidate, or in other words, a sorceress, since she even comes to the Sage's mansion even in this appearance.
　Since she is the only one of the people involved who has shone her eyes on the scene.......she may be the most dangerous child in a way.

''But with blood all over the place like this, I can't even step on my feet.
If that's the case, then leave it to me!

　
　Since I can't use my cheat ability or magic anymore, I'll be grateful for it.
　This is how the investigation began........

'Ugh. Once again, it's really grotesque.
Ha-ha, wow.
'Ummm, there are magical traces but they don't lead out of the room. There doesn't seem to be anything that leads directly to the killer.

　The women, including the loli hag, don't seem to be very dependable.
　Then again, the real question is.....

"Hmmm. This is interesting.

　The British Dandy nodded. I guess my husband noticed that thing too.
　After a quick look around the room and examining the corpse - more like a collection of flesh pieces actually - we left the room.

''Well. I have some clear questions, you know.

　Somewhat excitedly, I leaned closer to listen to the British Dandy's line.

'That the room was secluded?'

　Anna tilted her head slightly.

'That's not impossible, but. Leave it for now.'

　The British Dandy took out his pipe and lit it with a match.
　He took a breath and then slowly exhaled the purple smoke.

'The first thing we need to know is where the killer was at the time of the crime.
Of course you were in the room with that thing!

　The lollipop hag shouts out what's obvious, but the British dandy shakes her head.

'Miz Died. If the killer was human, that is as a matter of course. What I'm trying to say is what position in the room the killer was standing in. As a matter of fact, we would have been trapped by the blood. If there was that much blood splattered all over the room, there is no way the killer wouldn't have gotten blood back.
''Oh, that's what I mean. I'm sure that must have been the magic of the force field wall.　If we put up a wall, we should be able to keep the blood from coming down!

　Anna began to explain with a smug look on her face.
　It's true that if you use force field magic, you can do the same thing to me. But..........

''Miss Anna. In this matter, whether or not the culprit was exposed to return blood or actually prevented it is irrelevant.
What's that supposed to mean?
'This is a world rife with such occultism. I wouldn't question the existence of magic to prevent return blood, or to restore it if exposed to it. But ... there is something patently unnatural about the idea that the killer was in the room.

　As I was listening to the British Dandy's reasoning with my heart dancing in my chest, my husband turned his gaze towards me, as I wondered.

'Mr. Toris. I've been listening in silence for a while now, but do you know what it is?
'What?　Am I allowed to say that?
Yeah, that's okay. By the looks of it, you've noticed it, you know.

　The old loli, Anna, and the gothic little girl are also looking at me.
　All right, I'll tell you what, why don't we do this?

"It's easy to do. If the murderer is physically present in the room, there's nothing in the room that he isn't supposed to be.
What the hell is that?

　Like a teacher seeking answers from his students, the British Dandy urged me on.
　As an honors student, I lived up to his expectations.

'It's 'bloodless walls and floors,'

　The edge of the British Dandy's mouth hangs up slightly. He seems to have drawn the right answer.

'With blood...not.... The one with no blood, is it?'

　Anna tilts her head a little bit again.
　She doesn't seem to understand it well. It's kind of like Ituna's gestures.

Yes, it is. The blood is dispersed almost seamlessly throughout the room. It's a wind spell, so as soon as it cuts through your body, the wind blows the blood around and sticks to the walls and such. That's what that handsome magician said. But if the killer was in the room, he would have been exposed to blood in return. Even if there was a way to prevent that from happening, the wall behind the killer and the floor where he was standing should not be splattered with blood.
Ah!
That's for sure!

　Anna and the loli hag reacted as if they had just had a revelation.
　Yes, these are all unnatural traces, even if they are in another world with occultism. The absence of traces is a trace.　
　I've become a tengu, and I conclude my reasoning with a proud heart.

'So the killer wasn't in the room when he killed Ruafois. It's only natural to think of it this way.''
Well, it's rough, but it's good enough.

　The English gentleman nodded, albeit in a slightly implied way.

He nodded, "Although I would have to count that as a possibility if there was some kind of magic that allowed you to become a ghost and no blood was spilled. And this is my question to all the sorcerers: why was there not a scratch in the room?　The floor, the walls, of course, but there were no scratches on the furnishings, either. Can this magic that flies vacuum blades be able to cut through only humans like that?

　Hmm, I didn't care about that. I thought it was designed that way.
　What about in this other world?

Of course, it's not impossible to use magic without damaging the room through target exclusion.......
'Inefficient, right? Surgeons are automatically excluded from the target, and I can't think of any reason to bother devoting magical resources to such a thing!

　If Lori and Anna denied it, does that mean there's no trace of this either that should be there?
　This is the kind of information that only a local can judge.

What do you have to say about it?

　Here, the English dandy called out to the gothic little girl who had been silently watching the proceedings from earlier, smiling.

Hmmm. I don't have anything to say about it. Oh, but you're right. I'll give you a hint...

　A hint?
　What does that mean, exactly?
　It means you obviously know something.

　My doubts were further amplified by the gothic loli girl's next line.

"He died because he was looking for the wise man's inheritance.

　It was such an obvious thing to say, such a thoughtful preamble to a hint.

'Well, that's true, I suppose. Because it would be natural to assume that the other candidates seeking the wise man's legacy were in the way and killed him..........!

　I agree with the lolly hag. He was killed by another candidate because he looked for a wise man's legacy. There are no implications or wordplay whatsoever.
　But somehow I feel like I should keep this gothic little girl's words deep in my mind.
　The British Dandy also seemed to want to ask the smiling goth loli little girl something, but she doesn't seem to have any intention of opening her mouth any further.

'Well, um. Um, I've been wondering... what is the legacy of the wise man?

　Anna, who didn't even try to hide her confusion as she raised her hand, said something interesting.

What do you mean? Didn't you also come here for the title and inheritance after the wise man's death?

　The loli hag said dumbly, but Anna shook her head.

'No!　The wise man is alive and well, I believe!　I'm an errand boy for a certain kingdom. I've come here to ask the sage for some wisdom!
What?

　Lori's twin eyes widen in astonishment.

'Foolishly, the wise man is dead!　That's why they called us together like this!
'No such thing!　The king sent a letter to the wise man to ask for help, and he replied... see, here's the proof!

　Perhaps pissed off at being denied by the loli hag, Anna vigorously held out an opened sealed letter.
　The letter in it says: "If you seek wisdom, you have come to our forest.　

The letter contains the following words: "If you seek wisdom, come to my forest and ask for it. If you are qualified, I will give it to you.

　Oh, I knew it.
　I was right in my assumption that each person received a different letter of invitation.

"I was in the middle of searching for the Sage's room when I found that dead body!

　Apparently, Anna had expected to see the wise man as soon as she arrived, and she had started to act immediately after Teene's permission was given.
　She went around the room in turn and knocked, and if she didn't answer, she went to the next, and if she didn't answer, she repeated the process.
　When I asked Tine why she hadn't asked for the wise man's room, she said "Oh". He hadn't thought of it. Well, I could tell from talking to her that she had an impatient personality.

'Mmm, the wise man is alive,' he said. Then what was the invitation that arrived to me........
That one, by the way.

　When I showed the information card to Anna instead of the loli hag who was blown away, her expression turned blue in a flash.

This.........this can't be some kind of prank, right? We let you into this forest.....
I just have one more question for you, okay?

　After listening to the story, the British Dandy chides Anna.

'Er, ah, yes. What is it?'
On the order of the action. You went to open the door first, and when it was locked, you knocked. Isn't that what you said?

　

Why didn't you knock on the door first?

　The British Dandy asked me exactly the questions I wanted to ask, so I watched the developments.

'Well, because I was told not to enter a locked room. Why don't we check it out first?
You were okay with it, but you were on your own with a wise man. So, if that's the case ... wouldn't it be normal to knock first?　Whether it's locked or not. If there's nothing dark behind it.
I'm sorry, that's a lie!　As a matter of fact, I knocked first and then made sure the door was locked. I did the same for the other rooms!　So I didn't get any response from the room and the door was locked, so I was going to go to the other room and I heard a click from the door. I'm sure the wise man in the room unlocked the door for me, so I opened it without thinking about it and then...

　Anna shook her head with tears in her eyes and shook her head with her head in her hands.

'Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me!　I was afraid that if I testified to something so bizarre, they would accuse me of being a criminal, so I just went on my way...!

　Well, I don't think there's much difference between his previous testimony and his current testimony about being treated as a criminal....
　He seems to be very upset, and he's told a meaningless lie.

This time........there is no mistake in your testimony, is there?

　But apparently this change in testimony was something that the British Dandy could not overlook.
　Anna, who was nodding her head and nodding her head, severely lifted her gaze and began to talk to herself as if she were talking to herself, turning in a different direction.

'Toris-kun. Who do you think it was that unlocked the door?
Well, it's probably him.
'Exactly. Even if there was a magic trick to unlock the door in response to a knock, it couldn't be anyone but the criminal who would do such a trick. But if the criminal did open it, a new question arises. Do you understand?
'Ah, well, I mean, normally, why would you do that? Well, I guess it's still too early to decide on any of the possibilities.
Of course. You're right, though, right?

　The British Dandy nodded to himself.

　I don't want you to draw any easy conclusions.
　I'm sorry Lori and Anna but as far as I'm concerned, I'm rather enjoying this event.

''I'm sure you'll be surprised at the truth.

　So I was extremely irresponsible in telling him so.