Chapter 234 Seventy-Threeth Cycle (64)
"What does this mean? Why does the paper say there are 12 people? Aren't there 13 of us?"
"Father? Are there any other staff members here? Should we ask the priest first?"
"It's getting dark so fast. This place feels a bit eerie. Let's find something to light it up. What if the flashlights run out of power? Are we going to have to navigate in the dark? That would be dangerous, wouldn't it? It's already quite dark in here..."
"Everyone, please be quiet. Let's take the ID cards as instructed and see what the next step is," Kogoro Mouri raised his voice.
Everyone here knows the sleeping Kogoro Mouri and is willing to listen to him. The band, which was initially a bit agitated, gradually calmed down.
“Mr. Mori is right. Let’s see what’s written in those envelopes first,” Amuro Tooru stepped forward.
Hikaru Midorikawa added, "That's right. Could you tell me who was the first one here? Could you also tell me the order in which everyone came in?"
"It's me." Bai Ma took two steps forward, turned around and looked at everyone one by one, pointing out the order in which they entered the church.
Hakuba Saguru is number one, Okiya Subaru is number two, the bald drummer is number three, the bespectacled keyboardist is number four, the blond guitarist is number five, the long-haired female vocalist is number six, Mouri Kogoro is number seven, Edogawa Conan is number eight, Amuro Tooru is number nine, Midorikawa Hikaru is number ten, Hagiwara Kenji is number eleven, Matsuda Jinpei is number twelve, and Date Wataru is number thirteen.
They each took an envelope with their own number on it and spread them out throughout the chapel, opening them to read the contents.
However, the light is starting to dim now, and except for those with flashlights, everyone is standing where the cross's light shines when they open the envelopes to read them.
Conan Edogawa's watch has a flashlight function, and because he is so short, the contents of the letter are easily seen.
The game rules state that you must keep your real identity a secret, which means that the contents of the envelope should not be known to others.
The envelope was also distressed, with a red lacquer seal and a butterfly on it.
Conan Edogawa opened the envelope and took out a letter and a small wooden plaque.
The wooden sign was suspended by an iron chain, and there was a small silver cross next to it.
The wooden plaque was carved with words, and Conan Edogawa shone the light from his watch on it.
Matthias
Conan Edogawa was stunned for a moment.
If I remember correctly, these were the candidates for the twelve disciples of Jesus, who were appointed after Judas betrayed Jesus and died.
Conan Edogawa frowned.
He originally thought there were 13 people, but the hint only mentioned 12, because the author, Ryuichi Taki, who is also representing Jesus himself, was also hidden among them and participated in the game.
Is that not the case now? Is he actually the thirteenth?
But why keep this a secret? Would a "traitor" kill someone based on their identity?
Conan Edogawa turned to observe the others, then lowered his head, unfolded the folded letter, and began to read.
Congratulations, you have been resurrected.
Conan Edogawa was taken aback.
Do you remember your name? Yes, your name was Jun Dazai, an outstanding police officer in the Violent Crimes Investigation Division of the Nanaki Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. You were 29 years old and died in an explosion during the final battle to destroy the organization.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Nanaki Police Station, First Investigation Division, Violent Offense Investigation Unit? The main characters from "Running Towards the Sun"? But I didn't see this name in the novel I read before? Are they original characters created for this fan fiction event?
[You have been resurrected, and reborn 20 years in the past. You are nine years old this year, in the third grade of elementary school.]
A question mark popped up above Conan Edogawa's head. He frowned and thought it was too much of a coincidence. How did he happen to draw the identity of an elementary school student?
You cannot let others discover that you have been reborn, because a traitor was reborn with you.
Conan Edogawa nodded, "I see, that's the setting."
You don't know who the traitor is, but you will die in the explosion in the final battle because of the traitor's betrayal.
Although we don't know why you traveled through time, you vowed to change that horrific future. You want to save everyone who was supposed to die and find the traitor to destroy the organization.
Conan Edogawa stood up straight, only to be suddenly bombarded with spoilers.
What? The main mission failed? Because there was a traitor in the police department?
Remember your identity: you are Matthias, the Messiah who will find the traitor Judas and lead everyone to the light in his place; you are the great and true Jesus, the savior who will save everyone.
After you are born into this world, you will experience countless hardships, suffer for humanity, save souls from sin, and ultimately attain eternal life.
Is he the real Jesus? So he is Jesus among the thirteen, and also Matthias, the successor? That doesn't make sense, does it?
Conan Edogawa continued reading, bewildered.
Below is a brief biography of this person's identity card.
[Your name was Dazai Hanabusa, a police inspector in the Violent Crime Investigation Division of the Nanagi Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He passed away at the age of 29.]
Your code name is DJ, taken from the first letter of your name, but you're often teased as "the trendy DJ," a label you don't really like.
You were a genius from a young age. You could easily see through the nature of the world and feel disappointed by it. You were aloof and outstanding. For a long time, you believed that "most people will betray others for their own benefit, so it is normal for vicious events to occur because of this."
You excel in speed and agility, but your strength is equally impressive; you're practically an all-rounder. Your achievements are unparalleled among all detectives, as are your sense of justice and impulsiveness. You always seem to be involved in both meritorious service and trouble, leaving your colleagues both moved and exasperated.
You are well aware of your situation, but you don't want to change it. Prepared for the possibility of being fired at any time, you often carry a job information magazine and have long been ready to resign.
But you remained active on the most dangerous front lines, fighting to the very end, ultimately sacrificing your life as a criminal investigator.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
As expected of that ruthless author, it has that familiar feel to it.
Your interpersonal relationships aren't complicated, because most of your close relationships have ended.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
That's enough! That's going too far!!!
When you were seven, your parents were murdered by members of an organization. You were then adopted by Yujiro Ishihara, the head of the Violent Crimes Investigation Division of the Nanaki Police Station in Tokyo, but you did not have a good relationship with your adoptive father.
Ishihara Yujiro? Isn't that the protagonist of the fourth part of the novel?
Ah...it seems the novel did mention it briefly, saying he occasionally struggled with his relationship with his child, who turned out to be an adopted son? Was this foreshadowing?
Conan Edogawa recalled something.
Yujiro Ishihara is arguably the longest-lived of the four main characters. Tall and with a serious appearance, he is known within the Metropolitan Police Department as an ideal superior who combines authority and tolerance. He even broke off his engagement because he chose the dangerous path of a police officer. He was active in the story for ten years before dying, witnessing the death of the previous protagonist, and was also the protagonist closest to the main storyline's ending.
Some people even speculated before the novel ended that he would end the story by bringing down the criminals, but unfortunately he died in an accidental car accident, which caused a heated discussion and argument, with some saying that it was a plot device that the author forced.
In this light, perhaps his death was also a conspiracy?
Conan Edogawa suddenly realized that his current role was very similar to that of the protagonist of the fifth part.
He continued reading and, sure enough, found more clues.
[Your favorite policeman is Masaya Oki. While your adoptive father was busy with work, he watched you grow up next door and taught you many things. You really like this older brother.]
Masaya Oki, the protagonist of the third part of the novel, codenamed...Scotland.
When Conan Edogawa got to this part of his recollection, he paused for a moment and then temporarily put aside his other thoughts.
It's probably just a coincidence. Many works use the name of a liquor as a code name, not to mention that there's even a whiskey unit in the Metropolitan Police Department, and the spirit of whiskey has been passed down.
Among the four distinctive main characters, Chongya is also the most eye-catching.
[Oki Masaya was originally a very gentle detective, but while on a mission with his senior Shibata Jun, he watched helplessly as Shibata Jun was shot and killed by the person he had desperately saved and protected.]
He originally possessed excellent marksmanship and might have been able to save the person, but he hesitated before firing, which led to his failure to save his senior and caused him to experience intense self-doubt, resulting in a complete personality change.
Jun Shibata is the protagonist of the second part.
He is the most popular of the four main characters. He likes to wear suits and sunglasses, and his unrestrained appearance and personality have attracted countless people. His contrasting charm of being tough on the outside but soft on the inside is also very interesting. In the end, he died at the hands of the person he saved, which caused many readers to break down. He has become the most regrettable and unforgettable character in their memories.
From then on, Chongya transformed himself into a ruthless police officer who showed no leniency towards criminals and had a sharp and decisive style.
He hates teamwork, ignores his superiors' orders, and often acts alone, which is a real headache.
You're probably the only one who thinks he's the gentlest older brother in the world, but you've always believed that.
After all, it was Okiya who gradually taught you how to get along with people, understand people's hearts, and treat the world correctly.
That's why it was even harder for you to accept when Chongya also died in front of you.
Conan Edogawa stroked his chin.
He was certain that his character was definitely the protagonist of the fifth installment.
There must be other conspiracies and details surrounding Oki Masaya's death.
He said that even if the situation was urgent, it was still a bit strange that Chongya would shoot himself in the chest and commit suicide.
It seems that his identity, that is, Dazai Huai, may be the final protagonist who will unravel all the foreshadowing and bring the entire novel to a close.
You can't accept this fact and want to investigate further, but your adoptive father stops you.
Because of this, your relationship with your adoptive father has become even worse.
Until your adoptive father also died in front of you.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Honestly, this protagonist is really too pitiful, isn't he? More pitiful than the previous four protagonists!
[Car accident? Impossible! That was premeditated murder! Your adoptive father was killed by that organization because he uncovered the core of the case!]
After your adoptive father died, no one will stop you from investigating this case.
Because of your outstanding abilities, you delved into the core of the case and learned a lot.
The first person to discover the clue was a detective named Jun Hayami...
Okay, in the end, we've returned to the original protagonist.
Jun Hayami is cheerful, outgoing, and sociable, making him very popular with women. He is gentle and considerate, has long hair, wears a suit but no tie, and even before becoming a police officer, he loved meddling in other people's business and stepping in to save lives.
However, he is more likely to empathize with young people who turn to crime out of desperation than with his job as a police officer. He is more inclined to focus on humanity than on the law, and his actions are unconventional, which annoys his colleagues.
It was precisely because of this characteristic that he touched a member of the organization that had always been shrouded in darkness, who revealed some important information to him before his death, which led to the opening and main plot of this epic novel.
Now, you've returned to 20 years ago. At that time, everything was just beginning, and everyone was still alive.
You are excited and happy about this, and want to use your future intelligence to save everyone and destroy the organization.
But before that, you need to find the traitor.
The traitor also knew that someone had been reborn with him, or that this miracle of time reversal might have been caused by him, so he set up this scheme and gathered all the suspicious people together to test them.
If you fail to find him, he will kill everyone and create an even more horrific future.
Believe me, that's not the ending you want to see.
Conan Edogawa carefully put away the letter and hid the wooden plaque separately on his person before looking at the others.
Most of the letters were quite long, and given Conan Edogawa's naturally fast reading and analytical speed, many people were still reading the letters.
Conan Edogawa sat on a church pew and took out the four books he had received as a reward for completing the previous level from his bag.
Even for him, reading it once doesn't mean he can remember all the people and details. He doesn't have a photographic memory; he just remembers things he likes very clearly—like Sherlock Holmes.
There were 13 people present, including him. Four of them have been confirmed as main characters from four different series in the novel.
All four main characters had died, but now they have been reborn and resurrected.
They may not know if they have any memories of the future, but they are the only ones who will never be traitors and are the partners that he and Dazai Huai can work with with peace of mind.
Now it's up to us to see who draws the identity cards of the four main characters.
Let's not dwell on what identity cards the remaining people will get. There are many excellent supporting characters in the four novels, and even more important characters who survive to the end... In fact, the protagonists have the highest mortality rate.
Determining who possesses the memories of the future is more difficult. Everyone present is intelligent, and they will not reveal that they possess important information before identifying the traitor, otherwise the traitor would kill them first.
So, who exactly is the traitor?
Even after Conan Edogawa quickly flipped through the novel and everyone else had finished reading the letter, he still couldn't determine the recipient.
Conan Edogawa sighed, packed his schoolbag, jumped off the chair, and ran towards the crowd gathered there.
The main characters are a group of very passionate, righteous and kind police officers; it's hard to imagine anyone betraying the police to help that wicked organization.
After much thought, if no one else knew the complete information, then his identity was now the most suspicious.
Moreover, he cannot explain, because explaining would expose that he too has been reborn, and he would be targeted and killed by the betrayers.
Conan Edogawa quietly hid his identity card even tighter.
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