Step—
"This way."
"..."
The center of the village, where I followed the village chief.
It was still early dawn, yet nearly everyone had already gathered.
The villagers stood some distance apart, surrounding the scene of the crime.
"The victim was—"
"Masa."
"..."
The one who had fallen victim during the night was the old woman, Masa.
She had been one of the people I suspected, so hearing that she had been killed this easily left me with an odd feeling.
Step.
"What the..."
The corpse looked quite unusual.
At the very heart of the village, in the center of the large intersection.
From the chest of the woman, who lay on her back with her arms raised in triumph and a smile on her face as though she were happy, a single red flower had bloomed.
Despite the ground being bare dirt, all kinds of grass had grown thickly around her.
Thud.
"Grandma..."
"..."
I turned at the voice and saw the boy, who appeared to have just arrived, collapse where he stood.
His eyes were empty. A small, hollow groan slipped from his gaping mouth.
"Because of me... Because I was by her side..."
As if this was not the first time they had witnessed something like this, the people averted their eyes.
Drip, drip.
Tears flowed from his vacant eyes.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them as he began to cry like a child a beat too late.
Rustle.
"It’s not your fault, so you don’t need to do this."
"Inspector...?"
"I told you. I’d get revenge for you."
Hologram or not, he reminded me of myself as a child.
This was not reality, and what he had gone through was different from what I had—but I did not want to just stand by and watch.
Because that had been me.
Because I had always had to tremble alone.
"Do you remember anything that happened last night? When was the last time you saw your grandmother?"
"I don’t remember... Everything was just like usual..."
"You didn’t hear any commotion while you were asleep?"
"No... I wake up often, so if I’d heard something loud, I would’ve gotten up..."
"All right. I’ll come get you later, so go back and rest for now."
"..."
I ruffled his hair messily and smiled before walking away.
I did not feel good about it, but I needed to investigate something if I wanted to catch the culprit.
"There are no noticeable traces."
"...I see."
The blacksmith, who had been close to the old woman, spoke quietly.
There were no visible wounds or traces. Only that strangely blossoming flower and the cluster of grass around it.
"This is the first time we’ve seen a murder committed this way as well..."
After hearing even the village chief’s additional explanation, the case only sank deeper into mystery.
I examined the area as thoroughly as I could, but as a nonprofessional, there was nothing I could determine.
All I could think was... perhaps she had fallen victim to something like magic.
"I know what it is..."
As I was thinking that, the boy’s voice came from behind me.
"Hm?"
"That flower... It’s the flower Grandma gave me after she took me in when I was all alone..."
"Do you know what kind of flower it is?"
"Yeah... She said it means ‘welcome’... Like, come in, it’s good to see you... something like that..."
"...Ha."
I had thought the crime scene was awfully elaborate. Apparently, it was a message directed at me.
I had not thought there was any particular motive, but now the possibility that this was a simple thrill killing had grown more likely.
Rustle.
I raised my head and looked around.
‘...The farmer isn’t here.’
The hunter, the merchant, the nun... As I checked each face one by one, I realized there was one person missing.
Eight villagers, each wearing a sad, grief-stricken expression.
‘This is driving me insane.’
My head throbbed at the fact that the culprit was among them, including the farmer who was not present.
"Masa..."
"Why on earth did this happen...?"
It was all the more frustrating because every single one of them looked perfectly normal at a glance.
"Damn it... How long are we supposed to keep living in this shithole...?"
Just how good did someone have to be at acting to make a face like they were saddened by this after causing it?
"...Everyone, disperse. If I find anyone outside before I come to see you, I’ll treat you as the culprit."
At my words, each of them flinched, then turned away with various expressions on their faces.
I knew it was harsh, but it would be fortunate if this was enough to catch the culprit.
Grip!
"You, stay right there."
"Huh...?"
"You need to help bury her."
I caught the shoulder of the boy as he turned away with his shoulders drooping at my words.
Please, I hoped this kid at least was not the culprit.
*
"So you think the grass around her was probably all poisonous too?"
"...Yeah. It looks like the grass Grandma never let me touch or even look at."
"If she never let you touch or look at it, how do you know?"
"I looked at it secretly when Grandma wasn’t around."
Nice to see him say that so proudly.
After burying the old woman in a temporary graveyard outside the village, I got some more information from the boy.
There was a good chance the culprit was knowledgeable about herbs, or at least had been somewhat close to the old woman.
They had deliberately displayed that flower for all to see on the very day I arrived.
Even the things arranged around her were related to the victim.
‘Someone well versed in poisonous plants and flowers.’
Or else... perhaps they were some kind of being beyond anything I could anticipate.
"Um... Big brother."
"...Big brother?"
"Should I call you Inspector instead?"
"Call me whatever you want."
"You said you’d get revenge, right?"
"Yeah."
"...Promise."
‘How helpless must he feel?’
I gave a bitter smile at the boy’s words and rested my hand on his head.
I did not like that this child was in a situation where he had to obsess over revenge and things like that.
"Where in the house does she keep that flower that means welcome?"
"In the room at the end of the second floor, farthest from the door."
"Where do you sleep?"
"In the room next to the stairs on the first floor."
He said there had been no commotion during the night, so there probably had not been a struggle.
Either the old woman had left the house of her own accord and gotten caught up in it, or the culprit was someone whose entering the house at any time would not have seemed strange.
"...Have you ever seen that flower anywhere else?"
"I’m not sure. I heard it isn’t a common flower."
...It was not a common flower. Then perhaps I could find a trace of it somewhere.
"Boy."
"...Me?"
"Yeah, boy. You said you wanted revenge, right?"
"Yeah... But why are you suddenly calling me that, big brother?"
"You call me big brother too. From now on, you’re my assistant."
"...Okay."
I let out a quiet laugh at the sight of him copying a salute he must have seen somewhere.
If I had had an adult to guide me too, would I have made somewhat different choices?
Ding!
[Tower of Wisdom]
- First Run, Floor 50 clear: Analyzing. Temporary [Incident Notebook] activated.
As I was about to head back while nudging the boy along by the back, an alert from Wiki sounded.
[Incident Notebook]
3. The old woman, Masa.
[No one suspected]
Notable Details
- A flower meaning ‘welcome’ bloomed from her chest. The area around her was thick with poisonous plants.
- No visible traces.
- Estimated time of death: 3:00 a.m.
The Incident Notebook had been updated.
New information I had not known had been added. The estimated time of death was information I certainly would not have known without Wiki.
"Big brother?"
"..."
Additionally, one new thing had appeared beneath the updated Incident Notebook.
I ignored the questioning voice beside me and gave a faint smile.
Temporary [Single-Use Lie Detector] activated.
- Upon use, can determine whether the target is lying once.
Wiki still said it was analyzing, but a new temporary feature linked to the Incident Notebook had been added.
‘Shall we try doing some real deduction?’
"Big brother!!"
"Sorry. So where should we go, Watson?"
"My name is Timi, big brother."
"Okay, let’s go, Timi Watson."
"..."
I patted the boy on the back and started walking.
I still did not know who the culprit was, but they had welcomed me this warmly. I ought to return the favor.
*
Knock, knock—
"Philip, are you in?"
"Yeah, I’m coming out. Wait a moment."
The fifth house we had visited since that morning’s incident.
I knocked on the door of the house where the wandering merchant was staying.
Creak—
"Grandma!!"
The moment the door opened, the boy standing beside me squeezed through the gap and rushed inside.
"Wait...!!"
"I apologize. I suppose the shock has affected him deeply—he’s been checking every house we visit like that."
"...Being trapped in a place like this at his age, of course he’d be shocked."
I caught the merchant as he turned around in surprise and bowed in apology.
"Yes, I intend to keep him with me for the time being. More importantly, Philip, I have something I would like to ask you."
"...Go ahead."
I told him not to mind a mere child wandering around, and that I had questions for him as the inspector.
That was how I used the kid’s natural pestering ability to send him into the house.
At the very least, it would seem less intrusive than asking to inspect the place myself.
"What were you doing last night?"
"Doing what? I locked the doors and windows tight and trembled until dawn broke."
"Didn’t you hear anyone moving around outside?"
"No way I did."
Timi Watson had two missions.
Thump—boom!!
The first was to find any rooms containing flowers or poisonous plants like the ones beside the old woman—or any traces of them.
The second was—
"Inspector!! There’s something suspicious here—!!"
"...?"
‘No reaction.’
To observe how a suspect reacted to that sudden declaration.
The merchant narrowed his eyes, as though trying to think of what suspicious thing there could be.
He showed no sign of trying to stop the boy, nor any sign of trying to make excuses to me.
I could not be certain based on this alone, but I could at least narrow down the suspicious people.
‘Other than the village chief panicking when he thought the location of his basement key had been discovered, there had been nothing notable.’
Aside from the village chief, the other four had not seemed especially suspicious so far.
"Would it be all right if I took a look?"
"Do as you please. I don’t really know what he’s talking about either."
I headed toward where the voice had come from with the merchant.
"I guess I was mistaken. Sorry."
"So he says. My apologies for troubling you."
Soon, after apologizing that it had been a misunderstanding, I left the merchant’s house with the boy.
Creak.
"Is this really going to work, big brother?"
"Who knows... I thought it was a pretty solid operation."
The village chief, the innkeeper, the widow, the hunter, and the merchant.
We had raided the homes of all five, but there had been no tangible results.
I did not know whether the operation was simply lousy, or whether the culprit genuinely had not been among them.
‘It was a little difficult while talking to the widow, though...’
My heart had pounded the entire time I spoke with her alone, but thanks to the boy shouting his heart out, it had been manageable.
"That leaves the blacksmith, the nun, and the farmer... Right?"
"Right."
The nun aside, I was definitely concerned about the blacksmith who never let anyone in and the farmer who had been the only one absent that morning.
‘I wish at least one of them would be a little suspicious.’
Then I could use the [Single-Use Lie Detector], but I did not know who I should use it on yet.
I did not necessarily have to use it today... but I wanted to find even one clue as soon as possible.
"Let’s go, Timi Watson."
"Got it, Sherlock Holmes."
"You finally remembered my name, assistant."
"That’s not your real name."
"Isn’t it about time you believed me?"
I told him to call me Sherlock Holmes because my name was Han Seol.
I had told him over and over that it was my real name, yet for some reason, the brat just would not believe it.
*
Knock, knock—
"Are you in?"
Standing before the farmer’s house, I exchanged a look with the boy.
He gave a small nod, and I knocked on the door as I called out.
Creak.
"Ah, Inspector...!"
‘Okay, get in there, assistant!’
"Grandma—!!"
Scamper—!!
"W-Whoa...!!"
He squeezed inside the moment the door opened.
I opened my mouth toward the farmer, who reached out after the boy as he ran off with a clatter.
"Have you heard the news? About the person who was killed today."
"Ah, I heard it from the village chief earlier..."
I frowned at his restless manner and continued slowly.
"Where were you this morning?"
"I-I went to check on my fields..."
"At that hour?"
"I woke up early... Yes..."
"You did not know what was happening in the center of the village?"
"I-I didn’t go down that road..."
Was it the truth, or a lie?
I frowned at the way he seemed anxious.
I was considering whether it would be better to use the lie detector here.
"Inspector!! There’s something suspicious here!!"
"Th-That can’t be...!!!"
‘He’s rattled...?’
I frowned at the sight of him growing flustered and trying to turn away.
"Would you mind if I took a look?"
"Ah... W-Well...!"
I said that to him as he glanced nervously at me, then headed straight inside without waiting for permission.
It had only been a courtesy. I had no intention of standing around waiting for his consent.
"W-Wait a moment, Inspector!!"
"..."
Ignoring the farmer calling after me, I went looking for the boy.
I found him quickly in the second room from the entrance, but the kid himself only shrugged.
His expression said that he had not actually found anything—that it was just another act to lure the suspect in, as planned.
"I guess I was mistaken. Sorry."
"...It seems it was a misunderstanding."
"H-Haha...! It’s f-fine. Everyone makes mistakes."
"..."
I grimaced at his obvious relief.
Rustle.
I considered turning the place upside down right then, but at the boy tugging on my arm, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
"What did you do last night?"
"I-I went to bed early, as usual."
"And you did not hear anything during the night?"
"N-No... I’m a heavy sleeper..."
"All right. Thank you for cooperating."
After the brief exchange with the farmer, I lightly patted the boy on the back and turned away.
Thump.
"Didn’t find anything suspicious, Watson?"
"Yeah, there was nothing. Why? Is the farmer suspicious?"
"At least out of everyone we’ve seen so far, he’s the most suspicious."
I shrugged at the boy, who tilted his head and asked why.
I had a gut feeling. More than enough of one.
He had been alone in not showing up at the crime scene, and he was the only one who had panicked at the boy’s actions.
But... he was so suspicious that it made me doubt him in the opposite direction.
"Oh, right. Did you see the farmer’s hands?"
"His hands?"
I tilted my head at the sudden question.
His hands... I had not looked at them. There had not seemed to be any reason to.
"I could see them well because I’m short."
"Was there something wrong with them?"
"He kept clenching and unclenching his hands and fidgeting with his fingers, but—"
The boy closed his eyes as if searching his memory, trailing off.
"His fingertips were black. Under his nails."
‘Under his nails were black...?’
I frowned at the added explanation.
How could someone’s fingernails turn black underneath?
Because he had been handling something with fine particles over and over?
‘He’s a farmer... so dirt is the most likely explanation.’
That was surely it, but something else came to mind.
‘Bloodstains.’
Dried bloodstains, after time had passed, would certainly look pitch-black too.
Step.
"Big brother, we’re here."
"...This is the nun’s house, right?"
"Yeah."
The voice interrupted my suspicions, and I forced myself to shake my head.
After checking both of the remaining people, I could organize the information and use the lie detector then.
Knock, knock.
With that in mind, I knocked on the door of the house where the nun lived—
"What brings you—"
"Grandma—!!"
As the door opened and the nun greeted us, the boy charged past her at full speed.
Whoosh—.
"Huh...?"
"Hehe, Timi. You mustn’t try to enter someone else’s home like that."
"..."
"You need to clearly state what you want and ask for permission before you come in, all right?"
She caught him.
It had clearly happened too quickly for her to react, yet at some point, she had stepped to the side and stood directly in front of the boy.
"I-I’m looking for Grandma..."
"Masa is... unfortunately not here. I’m sorry, Timi."
"Okay..."
She gently drew the boy into an embrace, stroked his head, and spoke softly.
"Hehe, if you don’t believe me, shall we look together? I can prepare some tea as well, so you may stay here and rest as long as you like."
"...It’s okay."
"All right."
The boy gave a small shake of his head as she smiled as if to say he was welcome to look to his heart’s content.
The nun patted the child’s back for a while as though soothing him, then stood and turned toward me with her hands resting on both of the boy’s shoulders.
"So, what brings you here, Shepherd?"
"...I came to ask what you were doing last night."
"Since today was the day the incident would happen... I was praying until late."
"To God, you mean?"
"Yes. I prayed that He would not impose too cruel a punishment upon His lambs."
I quietly nodded at the nun’s words.
She did not seem particularly flustered. It felt as though she was saying she had merely done what came naturally, that it was truly nothing more than that.
Without asking me a single question in return, she simply wore a gentle smile and softly stroked the boy’s hair.
"...While you were praying, did you hear anything outside?"
"No... I did not hear anything in particular—ah."
"Sister?"
I asked again as her eyes widened and she trailed off.
She looked up at me with an awkward expression, as if debating whether to say something, before slowly opening her mouth.
"Would it be all right if I’m not certain...?"
"Yes, that’s fine."
"I think I may have heard Hans’s voice... nearby."
"Hans, the farmer?"
"Yes. To be honest, the voice was unclear, so I thought I must have been mistaken... But perhaps it could be of help to you, Shepherd..."
"..."
"I-I don’t want to suspect anyone...! Maybe it was just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding...?"
The farmer had certainly said he had gone to bed early.
At least one of the two was lying, then.
I gave a small bow to the nun, whose bitter expression made it seem as though suspecting someone else pained her, then left the house with the boy.
"Big brother, will it be okay?"
"...What will?"
"We couldn’t go inside the sister’s house."
"...That’s true."
Still... she had spoken as though she would let us in, so perhaps it was all right.
More than the fact that she had stopped him, or that she had given permission for us to look around, what bothered me was her claim that she had heard the farmer’s voice.
*
"Grandma—!!"
"...! What are you doing?!"
The next place we visited was the blacksmith Otto’s house.
As if to make up for his mistake earlier, my assistant charged in at the speed of light the moment the door opened.
"Stop!!"
Startled by the sudden situation, the blacksmith immediately ran after the boy without a moment’s hesitation.
Just as the testimony had said—that he never let anyone inside—he reached out and rushed after him as if he could not permit it, not even for a child.
Crash—!
"Mmph!!"
"Don’t just...! Run around wherever you please...!"
Before the inner door leading to the smithy, the boy was soon caught by the blacksmith and knocked to the ground—
Step—
"Excuse me for a moment, Otto."
"...!"
I passed by the two sprawled on the floor and casually took hold of the doorknob.
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