Knock knock.
"Is anyone home?"
"Who... I-Inspector...!"
The house closest to the village chief’s home.
When I knocked on the door of the house I’d been told belonged to the farmer, the young man who had been hovering around the village chief’s house appeared.
"May I speak with you for a moment?"
"I’m scared. Please, please do something, Inspector...!!"
‘...This guy has terrible dark circles too.’
They were practically panda-level. His face was utterly worn out.
When I frowned at his blatantly terrified appearance, he flinched and stepped back.
"Do you usually have trouble sleeping? Do you go to bed late?"
"N-No... I usually go to bed early.... I-I’m too scared to go outside... so I toss and turn a little, but I do fall asleep early...."
Could someone who went to bed early have dark circles this severe?
The woman I had seen earlier might be understandable, since she said her husband had been a victim, but I doubted just a day or two of restless sleep could make someone look like this.
Of course, he could simply be exhausted from the current abnormal situation.
"Do you know anything about the incidents happening now?"
Squeeze—!!
"N-No.... I really don’t know anything...!!"
"..."
"Ah...! I-I’m sorry...!!"
The man who had backed away in fear hurried over and grabbed my arm.
His desperate pleading was excessive enough to make me suspicious for a moment, but I soon dismissed it.
Watching him repeatedly bow and apologize, I got the feeling that he was simply genuinely cowardly.
If this was an act, he was trembling so convincingly that I had no confidence I could find the culprit in this village.
"Just one last question. Is there anyone you personally suspect? I’ll keep it confidential, so I’d appreciate an honest answer."
"I-I find Otto suspicious. Every night, the sound from the smithy is so loud it hurts my ears.... Even when people ask what he’s doing so late at night, he doesn’t answer, and he won’t let anyone inside...!!"
‘So he’s doing something every night.’
Otto was undoubtedly that huge man from earlier.
The man who had kept his eyes closed throughout the village chief’s story, then subdued the woman holding the knife.
"Understood. Is there anything else you’d like to say?"
"No.... Please find the culprit, Inspector.... I’m scared to death...."
I nodded at the sight of him clutching his face and trembling all over, then turned away.
If I investigated them one by one like this, things should start becoming clearer.
‘The next house should be—’
Ding!
Just as I turned my head, wondering if it was in that direction, a Wiki notification arrived.
Blinking at the thought that the analysis was already finished, I immediately checked my phone.
[Tower of Wisdom]
- 50th Floor Guide, 1st Run: Analyzing. Temporary [Incident Notebook] activated.
‘An Incident Notebook?’
It was still analyzing, but something new had appeared beside it.
Were there two or more guides? It was my first time seeing a case like this, so it was interesting.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time I had seen a temporarily activated guide, so after scratching my head, I opened the [Incident Notebook].
[Incident Notebook]
A mysterious village where someone is murdered every two days.
1. Village Chief, Barka.
[Suspects all villagers]
Notes
- Says the murdered people had nothing in common.
- Says the methods of murder had nothing in common either.
- Has sealed off the village and stores preserved food in a locked cellar.
- His grandson was a victim, and he is strongly determined to find the culprit.
2. Farmer, Hans.
[Suspects blacksmith Otto]
Notes
- Goes to bed early every night.
- Hears loud noises coming from the smithy every night.
"So that’s why it’s called an Incident Notebook."
I roughly got it. It felt like an item in a mystery game that organized everyone’s statements for you.
The main objective was probably to interrogate people one at a time to gather information, uncover conflicting testimonies, and investigate them.
It wasn’t a guide, but it was quite a helpful item.
Since I had no way to write down information separately, I was more than satisfied.
‘Since it says it’s analyzing, something else should come up later.’
Either way, it was a gain.
I felt like planting a kiss on the Wiki for preparing something I didn’t even need.
‘Then next... the innkeeper over there.’
Step.
"Found you!"
"...?"
As I turned my head to find the next location, I heard energetic footsteps and a lively voice.
"I’ll help you, Inspector!"
"Hey... you need to speak properly to the Inspector."
"O-Okay, Grandma. I’ll help you, Inspector!"
The village’s only child, accompanied by an elderly woman who appeared to be his guardian.
I hadn’t intended to meet them yet, but there was no harm in meeting them early.
"Hello. If you know anything, would you please tell me?"
"Hello to you too.... Even if you ask, I don’t know much.... I’m just an ordinary old woman who gathers herbs and sells them to merchants who occasionally stop by...."
An old woman who sold herbs.
Okay, I’d remember that.
"Grandma knows a whole lot about herbs! She can tell poisonous ones apart at a glance!"
"Is that so?"
"...Well, I’ve handled them for decades. You naturally learn to recognize them at a glance."
For an instant, the old woman’s expression sharpened at the child’s words.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but it was an expression that made it impossible to shake the feeling that something was off.
‘Because he mentioned poisonous herbs?’
I couldn’t be certain, but something definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.
"Is there anyone you suspect?"
"No, there isn’t.... I cannot believe that the culprit is one of the people in this village. There must be something else...."
Her saying she suspected no one caught my attention, but what she said afterward bothered me even more.
‘There must be something else...?’
It might have merely supported her claim that she trusted the villagers, but I couldn’t dismiss it outright just yet.
Swish.
"I think Elena is suspicious."
"Can you tell me why?"
"Because she carries around a knife like that. My mom and dad were stabbed to death too."
"...You mean they were victims?"
"Yeah. I’ve lived with Grandma ever since. She’s not my real grandma, though."
I frowned at how matter-of-factly the child spoke.
A child who didn’t even look ten spoke of his parents’ murder without showing the slightest emotion.
What on earth would someone have to experience for that to be possible?
How many deaths had he watched in this village to become like this?
‘Of course, there could be another reason.’
The woman who carried the knife had lost her husband recently.
She had probably only broken down recently, like she had earlier. When this child’s parents were murdered, she must have been fine.
"Then let’s hurry, Inspector!"
"...What?"
"I’ll show you around. I told you I’d help, didn’t I?"
"It’s all right. It’s dangerous, so go back home with your grandmother—"
"I’ll help."
For a moment, goosebumps rose at the sight of the child looking up at me.
His voice was cheerful, and both his eyes and mouth were clearly smiling.
Yet something about him felt alien, as if I had seen a ghost.
‘Would it be better to keep him with me?’
Even this brat had to be considered a suspect in the end.
I could force him away if I wanted to, but judging from that expression earlier, he didn’t seem like he would leave even if I told him to.
"Are you confident you can help?"
"Yeah."
"Why do you want to help?"
"I need to know who killed Mom and Dad."
So he had a reason similar to the village chief’s.
Seeing how the old woman beside him said nothing, perhaps he usually wandered around like this.
"For revenge?"
"Could I do it?"
"Well, it would be too much for you."
"..."
I still didn’t know how the culprit killed people.
The corpses had looked different every time, so it couldn’t be considered an ordinary murder.
‘And there have already been twenty victims....’
Even if a child of around ten found the culprit, getting revenge would be difficult.
Pat.
"I’ll do it for you instead."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
I snickered as I placed a hand on the child’s head.
I had to find the culprit anyway, and once I did, I would probably execute them.
Unless the ending turned out to be that this brat was the culprit, I would end up catching and beating the hell out of them myself.
"So leave it to me, and you—"
"This way!"
"...Ah, yeah."
I had been about to tell him to go home, but like a typical kid, his initiative was no joke.
He had crossed a great distance in an instant and was waving at me from far away, making me let out a hollow laugh.
"Please take good care of Timi."
"Of course."
I nodded at the old woman’s quiet words, then followed after the child.
Ding! Ding!
[Incident Notebook]
3. Old Woman, Masa.
[Suspects no one]
Notes
- Has gathered herbs for decades.
- Can identify poisonous herbs at a glance as well.
4. Boy, Timi.
[Suspects widow Elena]
Notes
- His parents were victims, and he is bent on revenge.
- Currently lives with the old woman.
- Is following the Inspector around on his own accord.
*
"The Inspector’s here? Maybe it’s because you’re an important man from the capital, but you sure are handsome~. I’ve never seen such a handsome young man in my life!"
"Me? Honestly, I find the traveling merchant suspicious. The first incident happened on the night that young man came into the village."
Ding!
5. Innkeeper, Rosa.
[Suspects traveling merchant Philip]
Notes
- Says the first incident occurred on the night the merchant came to the village.
- Resents the village chief for sealing off the village.
"Damn it... What did I ever do to deserve being trapped in a shithole village like this...!!"
"Suspect? Of course it’s that old bastard, the village chief. Does sealing off the village sound like something a sane person would do? He’s obviously trying to pin this on me!!"
Ding!
6. Traveling Merchant, Philip.
[Suspects village chief Barka]
Notes
- Came hauling a wagon in place of an acquaintance who usually traveled here, only to be imprisoned.
- Thinks he is being kept alive so the culprit can frame him.
"...You’re the Inspector. I said I would visit everyone one at a time, but forgive me. There are two of you now."
"The hunter, Jack, leaves the village every night. I don’t know why."
"Why is there noise coming from the smithy every night? ...Where did you hear that? I’m only making various things to protect myself."
Ding!
7. Blacksmith, Otto.
[Suspects hunter Jack]
Notes
- Knows that hunter Jack leaves the village every night.
- Crafts tools to protect himself until late every night.
"...If I tell you who I suspect, will you kill them for me?"
"The village chief."
Ding!
8. Widow, Elena.
[Suspects village chief Barka]
Notes
- Hates the village chief.
- Her husband was a victim three days ago.
- She wanted to leave the village with her husband but was unable to escape because it had been sealed off.
"Peace be with you, brother."
"I... trust everyone. I suspect no one."
"This must be a trial sent by God. I’m sure we can overcome it. I believe that you, Inspector, will become a shepherd to guide us."
"Ah, the reason I look tired... I suppose it’s because I pray until late. Every day, I pray that there will be no victims... but perhaps this, too, is because my prayers are lacking...."
Ding!
9. Nun, Claire.
[Suspects no one]
Notes
- Offers prayers every day until late at night.
- Like the farmer and widow, has a tired-looking face.
- Is relatively well trusted by the villagers.
"Why would such a distinguished Inspector come ask for my opinion? Or did everyone say I was the culprit?"
"Hmph, should I stay in a village where people keep dying until I die too? The forest’s probably safer than this place."
"Suspects? I suspect everyone, so what? Are you going to help if I tell you who I suspect?"
Ding!
10. Hunter, Jack.
[Suspects all villagers]
Notes
- Leaves the village every night, waits in the forest for the sun to rise, and then returns.
*
"...These people are fucking insane."
At some point, evening had arrived and the sun had set. Sitting in the living room of the house the village chief had shown me, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Looking at the [Incident Notebook], where all the information had been organized, made my head throb.
Every single one of them was suspicious.
They all suspected one another. Without exception, every last one of them was doing something shady.
‘Was there even only one culprit to begin with?’
That was the first problem.
I didn’t even know how many culprits there were. One would be fortunate; there could be two, three... perhaps even more.
For all I knew, they could all be culprits.
"The village chief is the one under the most suspicion, and aside from that, the suspicious ones are... everyone is suspicious."
In situations like this, the cliché was that the person everyone suspected was actually innocent. But considering that he had sealed off the village, the suspicion was only natural.
There were at least a few people who hadn’t been singled out by the villagers.
Of course, since someone thought everyone was suspicious, they didn’t have literally zero votes....
‘The farmer, the old woman, the boy, the innkeeper, and the nun.’
Half of them hadn’t been individually named.
Looking at the lineup, and recalling my brief conversations with them, I could understand why to some degree.
It wasn’t that those five didn’t seem suspicious. It was just that the ones who had been named were on a different level.
"Haa."
This was frustrating. There was still time, but I had no idea how to reason this out.
Did I have to wait until the first victim appeared?
‘At least it’s fortunate that I learned one unusual fact....’
I had heard that the victims’ bodies didn’t always bear signs of being stabbed or bitten by wild animals.
There had been many victims with no injuries at all.
Apparently, there had been more than one or two victims for whom no one even knew the cause of death.
‘To begin with, they’re being attacked despite everyone locking their doors and fortifying their homes at night....’
It was probably right to assume the culprit possessed an ability to kill others without confronting them directly.
It was entirely possible they used magic or poison.
And I had to find that culprit.
"The people active at night are the most suspicious, but...."
Since anyone could have lied, it was hard to fully trust all the testimonies I had heard so far.
"..."
Should I just gather everyone in one place?
Then maybe nothing would happen.
Even if someone died, I could find the culprit right there on the spot.
‘Would I be screwed if they all died?’
So far, only one person had died every two days, but the culprit might suddenly go berserk.
Of course, since this was the Tower of Wisdom, I didn’t think it would turn into a development where I had to fight the culprit head-on, but....
"...If everyone except me dies, then the person left is the culprit, isn’t it?"
Wouldn’t I be able to use that in its own way?
The culprit probably wouldn’t kill me.
According to the Tower’s message, I would remain alive until the morning meeting three days later. That was when it would be decided whether I chose the right answer or the wrong one.
In other words, I was invincible until the morning meeting three days from now.
"Unless it was an accident."
No matter how I thought about it, gathering everyone in one place seemed better.
For that matter, couldn’t I clear this just by identifying the culprit and running away for three days?
‘But if nobody dies, then I won’t be able to catch the culprit either....’
I let out a hollow laugh at the ironic situation where trying to save everyone else could get me killed.
If no victim appeared today, things would become complicated in their own way. For now, I needed more evidence.
"I should go out and patrol...."
I wouldn’t catch the culprit by staying in the house anyway.
It would be better to personally verify whether the testimonies I heard today were true.
If I found someone wandering around at night, forcing them to go back home could also work.
With that thought, I got up and grabbed the doorknob—
[Night has fallen]
[The Inspector’s movement is restricted]
[Time remaining until movement is possible: 8:00:00]
"What?"
My eyes widened at the message that appeared, as though it really wanted us to play Mafia.
Rattle—!
I immediately grabbed the doorknob and shook it, but it wouldn’t open.
It was absurd, as though it was telling me to quietly wait for something to happen.
Swish.
"..."
I considered breaking a window, but there was no way the Tower would fail to prevent even that.
If I did something pointless and got asked tomorrow why I had broken a perfectly good window, I would have nothing to say.
"Can’t be helped."
There was nothing I could do anyway, and nothing more I could learn right now—
Flop!
"Ughh...."
I ran into the bedroom I had checked out earlier and threw myself onto the bed.
How long had it been since I’d lain on a bed?
The Tower had handed me a whole eight hours to get some rest, and not taking proper advantage of it would be a crime in itself.
"Maybe I should put a bed in my hideout once I clear the 50th floor...."
I hadn’t given it much thought until now, but actually lying down on one brought a whole different wave of emotion.
Wouldn’t bringing in one sturdy bed be better than food that disappeared once eaten?
‘So... I need to clear this floor somehow too....’
Sleepiness washed over me in an instant.
I didn’t know whether it was the bed’s effect or if the Tower was forcibly putting me to sleep.
Honestly, I didn’t care which it was. I settled into a comfortable position and slowly closed my eyes.
*
Bang bang bang—!!
"Is anyone there!! Inspector—!!"
"..."
I scrunched up my face at the thunderous noise.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone had woken me up this early in the morning.
It was probably the first time since I got discharged from the military.
Bang bang bang—!!
"Inspector!!!"
"Wow... how do you knock on a door that fast...."
I forced myself upright through the fog of sleep.
Ignoring the warm comfort of the bed and blankets with great effort, I slowly moved my feet.
Creak.
"Yes...."
"I’m sorry to disturb you so early, Inspector...!!"
When I opened the front door, I saw the village chief, clearly exhausted as though he had run all the way here.
Judging by the sky behind him, it was early dawn. The sun hadn’t even risen fully yet.
"So what brings you—"
I asked the obvious question of why he had come.
"In the center of the village... a victim, a victim has appeared...!!"
The village chief cut me off with his news, and I let out a hollow laugh, thinking figures.
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