Deduction Part 1: “Alibis and Suspicion”
The stormy night still showed no sign of calming, and the rain and wind battering the manor’s windows made the great hall tremble.
Under the flickering candlelight, with all the manor’s residents gathered before him, Ale slowly exhaled and rose to his feet.
“… Alright, I’ll hear it from each of you. When Jack-kun lost his life, where was everyone? Answer in order.”
Magic wasn’t nearly as convenient as people imagined. This wasn’t elemental magic, they were speaking about killing magic capable of suffocating someone without leaving a trace. That kind of spell was extremely high-level, and using it remotely was something no ordinary person could do.
A taut silence settled over the great hall. The servants exchanged uneasy glances, nodding nervously to one another.
First were the kitchen maids and scullery workers.
“W-We were… in the kitchen the whole time!”
“All of us were cleaning up after dinner… washing dishes and dealing with leftovers.”
“And then… Hanneen-samma told us to replace the oil in the candlesticks, so the two of us went into the hallway…”
Their statements naturally overlapped, confirming one another’s movements. There was no contradiction, nothing suspicious, no way to imagine the culprit was among them.
Next were the gatekeepers and footmen.
“With the storm outside, we couldn’t open the gate at all. We definitely stayed at our posts in rotation.”
“… I was carrying wooden boxes into the storeroom, and the other two saw me.”
Here as well, at the time the scream was heard, they had nearly all been in groups of two or more, clearing them of suspicion.
Before long, everyone’s attention shifted to those who remained.
“… Then let’s start with the master of the house.”
When Ale prompted him, Count Moriarty exhaled a heavy breath and answered.
“… I was in my study. Reading through old records. However…”
He stopped there, biting his lip.
“… No one would have seen me. I always spend this hour alone.”
Next was the countess, Ratchet.
“I… was in my room. I was feeling unwell and had retired to rest.”
“Did anyone check on you?”
“… No. I didn’t even call for my maid.”
A small stir ran through the great hall.
Next was Bartley.
“I-I was… shut in my room… because of what happened to Brother…”
Her downcast voice trembled.
Ale frowned slightly and turned to the head butler.
“Mr. Hanneen, you?”
“……I was making my rounds. Walking the corridors and checking for leaks because of the storm.”
“Did you pass by anyone?”
“……No. I was in the old wing at that time.”
Tension rippled through the servants. Even the trusted head butler was not free from suspicion.
Lastly was the maid who had been standing anxiously near the wall—the first to discover the scene, Jeanne.
“U-Um… I-I was…!”
Both hands pressed to her chest, she stammered helplessly.
“I was in the hallway… but, um… I didn’t meet anyone… and when I was near the young master’s room, I heard the scream…”
“Did you see anyone coming out of the room at that time?”
“I was a little far away, so…”
She shook her head, her voice breaking into tears.
Five testimonies were now on the table.
A heavy silence blanketed the great hall.
Those without alibis were Count Moriarty, Countess Ratchet, Young Lady Bartley, Head Butler Hanneen, and the new maid, Jeanne.
“…………”
The quiet sound of someone drawing in breath echoed strangely through the storm-battered manor.
The servants’ eyes stabbed toward the family, the head butler, and the young maid.
Suspicion and fear swirled, crushing the atmosphere.
(Great… even after narrowing it down, the suspects are these five? What kind of coincidence is that…?)
Ale raised one eyebrow and looked over them one by one.
Moriarty, pale, held his forehead. Ratchet kept her lips tightly shut, looking down. Bartley clutched her trembling shoulders. Hanneen tried to remain expressionless, though the eyes behind his glasses wavered. Jeanne’s gaze darted about, looking ready to burst into tears.
(… What they all have in common is that none of them have witnesses. Too convenient to be coincidence? Or am I overthinking it…)
The one who broke the suffocating tension was Salvia.
“Hmmm… Everyone insists they’re innocent, but… sadly, there’s no proof, you know~?”
Her usual drowsy tone carried a chilling edge. People murmured in a wave, whispering to one another.
“The master…? Impossible…”
“The mistress? No way…”
“The young lady’s crying, but… still…”
“The head butler? But surely…”
“Jeanne, that girl is… wasn’t she…?”
The murmurs grew, spreading suspicion like a chain reaction, and fear and doubt deepened on every face.
“…… Silence.”
Moriarty’s voice descended heavily.
It carried the authority of a lord, but how much influence he could still exert was uncertain.
Considering he had attempted to sacrifice orphans, used bandits to attack guests he himself had invited, and was now a suspect in this crime, the suspicion was only natural.
“If we start doubting each other, there will only be chaos. Accusations without proof—”
“But the fact is, the only ones without alibis are all of you~ It’s natural you’d be suspected, you know~?”
Salvia’s voice cut in smoothly.
Once again, the eyes of everyone in the hall converged on the five.
Ratchet lifted her head and cried out in a frightened voice.
“I-I am not involved! I was only resting! Besides… I have no reason to do something like this!”
But the next moment, her own argument cornered her.
“… Everyone here has a motive, though.”
No one knew who had murmured it. Yet that single line made the atmosphere thicken even further.
Ale sighed and sank back into his chair.
(… This is bad. Trapped in a manor in a storm, clear suspects, and now a spiral of paranoia. Classic mystery or suspense setup for when things get really dangerous…)
Thunder rattled the windows as if amplifying everyone’s unease.
And then—
“… Ale-san~”
Salvia tugged lightly on his sleeve.
Her golden eyes, contrary to her drowsy voice, were sharp with intent.
“There’s almost no doubt the culprit is among these people~ But rather than looking at each person’s reaction~ maybe we should approach this from a slightly different angle~?”
“A different angle…?”
When Ale narrowed his eyes, Salvia gave a small, sly smile.
“For example~ ‘motive,’ you know~?”
With that single word, the air in the great hall tightened all at once.
What do you think about this chapter?
