"Gaelio-dono, Darryl-dono, follow me!　The rest of you, follow me!
"Ha!

　Miguel is running with his father and the soldiers, led by a maid.

My father is at ......!
"Master Hannibal ......!

　Followed by Mizha and Nerval.

We're coming with you.
Ha!

　Leanne, of course. Nyarev and Garv will follow.

Amira, we're going after them.
Ah!　Ranga-sama!

　I'll follow you, too.

　The maid left the house and headed for the courtyard.
　After a short run, they arrived at the clock tower.

"The clock tower is ......?

　Miguel tilted his head as he walked, and the maid stopped.

"Oh, look at that .......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Or more accurately, what was a person.
　The body, split into three parts - head, torso, and lower body - was lying on the ground, and a great deal of blood was spattered around it.
　The anguished expression on his face was that of Hannibal.

"What ......?

　Everyone who saw the horrific scene gasped.
　Hannibal was dead, his neck and torso severed with what looked like a sharp blade.

"Father!

　Nerval was the first to move.
　Nerval was the first to move. He rushed over to Hannibal's body and gathered it up.
　But of course, nothing would happen.
　All that happens is that Nerval's body gets wet with blood.

"Oh, ...... father, why ...... did this happen ......!

　Nerval breaks down in tears as he hugs Hannibal's mutilated body.
　His own father had been killed in such a horrible way.
　Everyone watched with a somber look on their faces.

"Mr. Nerval, I know how you feel, but please come this way. ......

　Miguel walked up, put his hand on Nerval's shoulder, and urged him to stand up.

"You ...... Miguel!　How dare you kill your father while you're here!
"I'll take the blame later. So please, .......

　Miguel forced Nerval to step back and looked around.
　The eyes had regained their previous sharpness.
　I hurriedly hid Amira behind a tree.

Miguel, the captain of the guard, will take this place!　No one is to go near the body!

　With those words, everyone stepped back.

The house is surrounded by many men and beastmen soldiers, and if anything happens, I will be notified. But the fact that it didn't happen means that it was an inside job. The killer is in here, including the house.

　Miguel glared at everyone with a piercing gaze.
　It's true that human soldiers, but beastmen soldiers have a good nose.
　And there are so many of them. There's no way they'd let the outside in.
　There's no doubt that the killer is among them.
　A tense atmosphere pervaded the area.

"Hmm, Mister Miguel, I think I know who it is.

　It was my father who broke the atmosphere and intervened.
　He took one look at the body and then turned to Leanne and the others.

It's such a vivid cut. It couldn't have been done by a human. It was probably a beastman. And a very skilled one at that.
"What?

　Nyarev and Garv react to that.

"Don't be silly!　I'm not sure what you mean.　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you have.
"Yes!　Don't you dare be so rude!

　The two men were indignant and refuted him, but the father added more words.

"Furthermore, ......, Beast King!　I'm sure you're not the only one. What do you think it is, a magic sword?
"This is .......

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　It is true that with the sharpness of the King of the Demon's Blade, this should be no problem.
　The father continues with a self-satisfied look on his face.

"You summoned Lord Hannibal to this place early this morning. The reason is ...... well, let's just say he has something confidential to say about the meeting. And then you show up, kill Hannibal, and come back to us with an unsuspecting face. ...... Isn't that right?



　Dad's words sent everyone into a tizzy.
　The image of the beastman is not a good one for everyone.
　It seems that even a random remark by my father would be treated as a crime.
　However, the father's reasoning is clearly out of order.
　...... Well, well, well, I'll interfere a little.

It's not right.

　With a muffled voice, I approached the body.
　I crouched down and picked up the clothes.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing, Ranga?
"Mr. Hannibal, you're holding a sword. "You have a sword, Hannibal, but there's no sign of a struggle. I'm sure a man like Hannibal would at least put up a fight no matter how many times he was taken by surprise.　You know, Miguel.
"...... Oh, yes. It's not an easy thing to do, even if you're dealing with a beast king.

　Miguel, who knows Hannibal well, nodded at my words.
　Even though he's old, there's no way he can be beaten so easily.
　We had sent assassins to kill Hannibal many times before, but they had all failed.
　That man has a frightening ability to detect signs, and he can notice them even when they are completely dead.
　It's hard to imagine that he was killed without being able to fight back, no matter how much he declined.

And besides, if a beastman summoned you, you'd be wary. That's why he was carrying a sword.
"Mmm ......, well, Hannibal didn't usually carry a sword, did he ......?

　Again the father pondered.
　He glared at me with a puzzled look on his face and gave me a scolding.

I'm sure you're not the only one.　This is not a place where children are allowed to come!
There you go. ......
Go home, you idiot!
Yes, sir.

　It doesn't really hurt, but I hold my head and pretend to be in pain as I leave.

But it's hard to believe that the Beast Lord is the culprit, isn't it?
Of course not!　I'll kill you, human!
What?　You're doing it!

　Now my father began to argue with Nyarev.
　I'm not sure what to do.
　...... Well, at least we've avoided Leanne's suspicion.
　He wanted peace so badly, there was no way he'd do anything to ruin it.
　I winked at LeAnn, who was puffing out her chest.

Anyway, we can't leave Hannibal like this. Sir Daryl, Sir Gaelio, would you be willing to help us investigate the scene?
"Of course.

Of course. ...... I'd like the rest of you to return to the compound. We'll talk to each of you later to see if you have an alibi.

　With Miguel's words, we're sent back to the compound.
　Oh man, I knew this peace conference was going to be tough, but ...... it's turning out to be a lot more complicated than I thought.