When we returned to the villa, Miguel instructed us all to go into our rooms.
　He told us that we would be interrogated one by one.
　My father and the others went with him, while Amira and I waited in our room.

"Mr. Ranga, do you think Hannibal was killed this morning?
"No, probably at night. I touched the body lightly earlier, but it had already begun to harden considerably. Human corpses take a whole day to stiffen up after about half a day. If he was killed this morning, the rigidity should not have started yet.
You're very knowledgeable, Master Ranga!
"And I saw Hannibal in the garden at night while I was taking a bath. And I saw Hannibal in the garden when I was taking a bath at night. I'm sure other people saw him too, and I'm sure Miguel and the others will figure this out soon enough.

　--The question is, who did it?
　It's not the work of an ordinary person,......, who could split Hannibal into three pieces without even putting up a fight.
　I can understand why you might want to nod your head in agreement with your father.

Anyway, we won't know anything until we hear the interrogation. Amira, are you sure it was in the conference room?
Yes!　Yes! I pretended to go to the bathroom to ask about it!　And I've installed the thing perfectly!
Yes, well done.
Well done." "Heh, .......

　Amira gives me her head with a sloppy smile, and I reluctantly stroke it.
You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few things to do.
　This is the same gramophone that I used to record the Death King Levanov's plot to kill me.
　Not only can it record, but it can also transmit the sound to the child unit here.

But why are you doing this, Master Ranga?　There's no benefit to you in looking for the culprit. ......

　Amira is puzzled by my actions.
　It's true, there's no benefit to me in finding the culprit.
　But for the sake of my former ally, I thought I'd help out if I could.
　Besides, if the beastmen and humans could make peace, it would bring me one step closer to the peaceful life I want and the world I want to live in.

"Well, whatever it is, ...... the interrogation should be starting soon. Come on, Master Ranga.
Thank you.

　I put the earpiece that extends from the child unit that Amira gave me into one ear.
　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

　A knock came from the door.

　You can hear a knocking sound and the sound of the door opening.

Excuse me.

　The first person to enter was Mizuha.
　Then I hear Miguel's voice.
　The sensitivity is good, and I focus my attention on my ears.

Mizuha, please make yourself comfortable.
"Yes, .......
Haha, don't be nervous. I'm not doubting you.

　I could hear my father's cheerful voice.
　I don't care what he says, he should be a little nervous.

"So, tell me what happened the other night.
"Okay. ...... The other night, I finished work around nine o'clock and was going back to my room. The other day I was returning to my room after work around nine o'clock at night.

　Apparently, it was definitely Hannibal I saw that night.
　So he was killed then, after all.

"Yes, of course I called out to him. Yes, of course I called out to him, but he was only going to the garden. ...... I thought it would be no problem, so I sent him on his way. I went to bed immediately and woke up at seven in the morning. I knocked on Mr. Hannibal's room, but there was no answer. ...... The door was locked, so I assumed he was still asleep, and went to wake the others. At eight o'clock in the morning, when breakfast started, he didn't wake up, so I thought it was strange and went into the room, but Hannibal was nowhere to be found. ......
You said he hadn't been home since the other night.
...... Yes. So I ordered the other maids to look for him, and I went to the dining room. After that, as you all know.
"I see. By the way, is Mizha-san's bedroom a single room?

　My father asks.

Yes. The other maids have two rooms, but I, the head maid, have one.
Hmm, so you could have moved ...... during the night?
No, that's impossible!　There are guards patrolling the house at night.　In particular, the rooms of our menial workers are located near the gate where many soldiers are. It's impossible for us to escape unnoticed!
"Oh, that's right. Excuse me.
By the way, there are guards in Hannibal's room, but they weren't reported. It looks like he slipped out the window. ...... d*mn, I should have been more careful. ...... Anyway, I understand. Thanks for your help.
"Yes, ......, and make sure you find the killer. I will never forgive you for killing Hannibal, who was so kind to me.


Yeah!　I'll take care of it!

　My father said briskly, and then I heard the door close.
　It seemed that Mizuha had finished her story.

I didn't notice anything suspicious, did you?
Oh, it would be impossible for Mizha to get out.

　So Hannibal went out under the watchful eyes of security.
　What is it that makes him go to such lengths to get out? ...... That's another mystery.

"Master Ranga, the next man is coming in.

　The next person to come in was Nerval.

"...... Miguel, do you suspect me?

　Nerval sounded unhappy.

Nerval sounded unhappy, "Not at all. The more people we can talk to, the closer we can get to the truth. We need your help.

　But Miguel simply ducked and continued.
　This guy doesn't seem to be just a patsy.
　He's pretty good. He's a capable man.
　Nerval let out a heavy sigh and began to speak.

...... I went back to my room as soon as dinner was over. You know that I stayed in my room the rest of the night. You know that I stayed in my room for the rest of the night, because there were soldiers guarding it.
The soldiers guarding Master Nerval's room told me there was nothing unusual about it.
That's what I heard. I've been reading for a while. ...... Oh, I heard bells ringing from the east around eleven o'clock. It was faint, but ...... I didn't care, thinking it was the sound of the wind. After a while, I went to bed and slept until morning. In the morning, Mizuha woke me up, I had breakfast and now I'm here .......
I see, that's very informative.

　Nerval's story ended easily.
　Apparently, everyone did not suspect Nerval.
　Well, he's my son. After Nerval left, the door opened and the next person came in.

"Thank you for coming. Lord Beast King.
"No problem.

　The one who came in was LeAnn.

"I'd like to know what you wanted to do the other night and this morning.
There are many guards in the building. If you lie to us, we'll know immediately!

　Unlike the other two, he was blatantly suspicious.
　I don't think it's a good idea to do that.
　But LeAnn was unconcerned and replied plainly.

"The other day I had dinner until the evening, and then I went to my room to read a book.
Is there anyone who can verify this?
No, it's .......

　When my father asked, Leanne clammed up.
　Well, as a matter of fact, it would be difficult to prove that I was alone in my room.

The bell rang around eleven o'clock. I didn't pay any attention to it.
I heard it too. It was faint. The wind must have shaken it.
"Hmm, that's what Master Nerval said.

　Gaelio added, and Miguel nodded.

"Well, that's all right. What about in the morning then?
I woke up around four o'clock and did my daily morning exercises. I got up around four o'clock and did my daily morning practice, then took a short bath and headed to the meeting.
Four o'clock, that's very early. Four o'clock is very early, when the soldiers in the house are asleep. It's a good time to move, isn't it?

　Well, it seems that Leanne is under suspicion.
　I think he should tell them about his meeting with me, but he's keeping quiet because it would make them look even more suspicious.
　Well, if I were in your shoes, I'd do the same.
　If I were in your shoes, I would do the same. ...... I was thinking about this when I heard a knock at the door.
　There was a knock at the door.

What's that?

　Amira jumped up and answered.
　Oh, you startled me.
　I was so focused on the conversation that I thought I'd jump too.
　My heart is still pounding.

"Mr. Ranga, Ms. Amira and Mr. Miguel would like to ask you about the incident. I'll take you to the conference room.

　The voice was coming from Mizuha.
　I see. She said she's going to talk to everyone.
　Of course we're the target.
　I guess we can't listen in any longer.

Let's go, shall we?
Okay.



　Mizuha took us to the conference room.
　When we entered with Amira, we found Miguel and the other guards, Gaelio and my father.
　Apparently, Leanne's story is over.

Ranga, tell me about the day of the incident.
Yes, I took a bath with my dad that day and went to bed right after he went to the security meeting. Amira was with me, so you can ask her.
Hmm, did you sleep until you were called to breakfast?
No, I woke up early in the morning, so I went for a walk. I woke up early and went for a walk, I think it was around five o'clock.　I got a little lost and ended up at the ...... beastmen's place. Ahahahahaha ......

　At my words, my father raised his voice in panic.

I'm not sure what to do.　Ranga, what are you doing?
"Well, Daryl, did you meet someone at ......?
Yes!　Leanne was practicing with her sword. He must have been doing it for a very long time, because the grass was all over his feet.　I talked to him for a while and he said he wanted this peace conference to be a success. Soon after that, Amira came to call me, and when I came back to my room, Mizuha came to call me. It was past seven, I think.
"I woke up around 6:30. I woke up around 6:30 a.m. Then I noticed that Ranga was not there, so I followed his footsteps. I was with her the rest of the time.

　Amira quickly added to my words.
　Miguel and the others whispered something to each other, then looked at us and nodded.

"Hmm ......, I see what you mean. Thank you both, we appreciate your help.
"Yes.

　We replied cheerfully and left the room.
　I followed up with LeAnn, and I hope this has lessened her suspicions a bit.
　At least they won't be suspected, I hope so.
　We left the meeting room, hoping for the conscience of our fathers.