Can you stop screwing around?
There's no way Lane would do that!

　Tania and Kanade were the first to bite Arios.
　They were both pissed off at being told something unkind and showed clear anger.
　They looked like they were going to hit him right now.

　But Arios is not intimidated.
　He continues to stand tall, as if justice is on our side.

''After a rigorous investigation, the answer is that Rain is the only culprit.

　The examiners surrounded us as we obeyed Arios' words.
　They were already treating us like criminals.

　Cell and Axe didn't join the siege and were now watching the situation.

''Why does Rain have to kill the other adventurers?　There is no reason ... no motive for doing such a thing.

　Sola says like a lawyer.
　However, Arios seems to have anticipated the question beforehand and says it without slurring and stagnating.

'The victim was an adventurer who had a problem with Rain, you know. Rain killed them in order to make up for his resentment at the time. Or they met in the ruins and got into trouble again. And then he lost his temper...?　Either way, we have a motive.
Isn't that tantamount to making things up?
'Maybe so. But the others have no contact with the victim at all. The only person I have any contact with is Rain.
'Hmph, you make me laugh when you treat Rain like a criminal just for that stuff!
Of course I didn't blame Lane for the murder, for that alone. Hey, let's see what you got.

　At Arios' signal, one of the examiners brought the materials.
　He handed them out to everyone in the room, including me.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. The results of the autopsy, I guess.
What does it matter?
I want you to look at the cause of death.
It's been caused by a blade wound. So what?
'Look closely. Doesn't it say that he died from a stab wound caused by a dagger, not a sword...?
Mmm....
'No one else has a dagger but Rain. Rain utilizes the dagger as his main armament, while the others are swords, spears, and axes.
That's the accusation!
I'm just stating a fact. If you'd like, we can do a physical examination of everyone here.　I can assure you that no one other than Rayne will come out with a dagger.
'Daggers are easy to dispose of. Burying it in the ground or throwing it in the river.......it's not proof!

　Luna pointed to Arios with a bishouche and told him that the evidence was insufficient.

　Luna is right.
　If you were to arrest me just on the basis of what you just said, you would be too arrogant.
　It's a messed up story, and it's not something I can accept.

　However, Arios doesn't lose his relaxed expression.
　He seems to be absolutely convinced that I'm the one who did it.

''When and at what point did Rain do this?

　This time Tina questioned.

'I hear you guys fell into the trap of the ruins and fell apart?　At that time, Rain was to act alone. Rain's actions at that time were not guaranteed to anyone. Which means he could have committed the crime then.
It's...

　What did you do when you were separated from everyone else?
　Isn't that when he committed the crime?

　I can't blame you for suspecting that, but....
　But there's no end to that kind of talk.
　Proving my innocence at that time was tantamount to proving the devil.



　Axe interrupted, as if he couldn't watch.

'Rain would have been with me, man.
Hmm. Are you sure about that?
Yeah, I'm sure. If Lane is willing to go to trial, I'm willing to testify.

　Lying in court is considered a felony.
　One shot and you're sentenced to forced labor.

　If he said it so strongly, one would not normally doubt Axe's statement.
　But Arios doesn't want to change his attitude.

''I'm sorry, but I don't trust what you said.
What did you say?
'You used to party with Rain, albeit temporarily, didn't you?　They're old buddies, so to speak. Maybe that's why he's speaking out in favor of Lane.
'Oh come on, don't make accusations. I wouldn't do that.
'What does it look like from an objective standpoint?　Isn't the witness a former colleague with a backstory?　I don't blame you for being suspicious of me. Am I wrong in what I'm saying?
G.............................

　Axe gets an angry look on his face.
　He cringes at the prospect of being grabbed, but it looks like he held on just in time.

　Arios' words are tantamount to an accusation...
　But it's not wild bullshit either.
　There's no such thing as an underhanded connection between me and Axe, but....
　To a third party who knew nothing about it, it would be suspicious.

'Arios, do you mind?'

　When I asked him to speak, Arios gave a small nod.

'The motive, the method of the murder, the alibi for the time of the crime... I understand that objectively I am suspicious.
Are you sure that's a confession?
No, you didn't. I didn't do anything. First of all, none of the evidence is conclusive. It's just vague, right?　And yet Arios doesn't suspect me of being the killer. Do you have any conclusive proof that I'm the culprit?
"Chuckle.

　Arios laughs happily.
　He laughs heartily and happily, as if he's been waiting for this moment.

'I have,'

　Arios nodded confidently.
　He must have a lot of confidence in himself for showing that much attitude.
　What kind of proof do you have in store for me?

You know what?

　At Arios' signal, the examiner brought out a crystal ball.

''This is a magical tool that is supposed to memorize the scene of the place. As an anti-corruption measure, these magical tools are placed throughout the ruins.
What about it?
This is where the critical moment of the crime was recorded. Would Lane still be able to cut the white out of this thing?

　Arios operated the magic tool with a grin and a malicious smile.

　The crystal ball glowed faintly.
　Soon after, the light subsided and a scene within the ruins was projected.

　A small room within the ruins was shown.
　No one was there.

'Where's the evidence?'
Take your time. We're almost there....

　Not long after, the victims entered the room.
　They seemed to be on alert for any traps and were moving slowly.

　From behind them I appeared...........................

Wha.........?

　I had a dagger in my hand and...
　I slowly walked up behind one of the victims and swung my dagger at him.

　The blade dug deep and blood poured out.
　The spot where I was stabbed was on the side of my neck.
　The victim collapsed to his knees as if the strings of his puppet had broken.
　He didn't even twitch.

　The victims were half panicked by the sudden violence, but they immediately began to fight back.
　They had just taken the A-rank promotion test, and their abilities were solid.
　Although they were lacking one person, they tried to move to counterattack with brilliant coordination.

　But........I was better at it.

　I used the corpse as a shield to block the attack.
　And then I threw the corpse away.
　The victims slow down, unsure of what to do with the corpses of their friends.
　So I close the distance and bring my dagger....

Rain. This is the proof you asked for. Are you still going to cut the head off after this?
'What the hell - I didn't do this!
But I'm pretty sure that's you in the video. Unless, of course, you have an identical twin, which I don't know about.
'That's ... but I didn't kill anyone!　There's a mistake!
'You can prove your innocence in the court of justice. Well, this is all the smoking gun we have. It's not going to be possible, though. Hahahahahaha!
Ggh.....
Get him.

　At Arios's command, the examiners moved at once.
　Axe and Cell were confused and didn't move, but...
　The other examiners ... and even more adventurers will join in.

　What to do!　What to do!