Chapter 97 Swan Castle
Kagemitsu originally planned to fly directly to Spain to pick up Conan. However, he was still too optimistic in his assessment of the situation: Gin discovered Scotland's whereabouts.
In order to shake off this troublesome opponent, Jingguang had no choice but to choose another path.
He first flew from the Hawaiian Islands to New Zealand, then traveled through Malaysia, India and other places before finally arriving in Morocco in North Africa, a country separated from Spain only by the Strait of Gibraltar.
Just when victory seemed within reach, Jingguang received some bad news: the young detective, who had been waiting anxiously in the port of A Coruña, was unwilling to stay in unfamiliar Spain any longer. He had already boarded a ship and headed north, crossing the English Channel to London, England.
Left with no other choice, the cat father had to continue chasing after his troublesome son. However, when Jingguang finally arrived in London, he found himself too late: Conan had run away again!
After overcoming numerous hardships, the Cat father and son finally completed their round-the-world trip on the eve of Easter and successfully met at their destination: Edinburgh, Scotland.
This is the place where Rumi Wakasa's father last traveled abroad in 20 years, the "hometown" of Ferris and his son, and the birthplace of Conan Doyle.
Therefore, for Conan, the significance of this trip lies not only in uncovering the organization's secrets, but also in a pilgrimage.
“Joseph, I think no one is more suitable to investigate this case than you. I hope to see through your eyes what kind of person Osiris really is.”
"Dad, didn't you say there was another person who looked a lot like Osiris? Why don't we let him come too?"
The man smiled and said, "He hates it when I compare him to Osiris. So let's handle this ourselves."
"Why?"
"Perhaps it's out of hatred for that man. Actually, I often have a conflicting feeling. When I think of that man, a blurry black shadow comes to mind. But when I think of Osiris, I see a pale, weak little child. Even now, I can't connect the two... Zero has never met Osiris, so he can only associate him with that man's image, and it's inevitable that he hates him."
"Speaking of dislikes, does Dad know what kind of people Tsukuyomi dislikes?"
"What did you talk about in Dr.Virus?"
"Tsukuyomi said he hated betrayal. But there was another type of person he also disliked: those who were too much like him."
"Huh? I thought he would have a crush on his own kind."
"Yes, but in his definition, people who are too similar can't be considered the same kind. Such people are more like mirrors, reflecting his shortcomings and weaknesses clearly."
"Since you know it has flaws, why not just correct them?"
"It's not that simple. The shortcomings he refers to are not bad habits like smoking or drinking, nor are they character flaws like low self-esteem or paranoia. Rather, they are things that are harder to get rid of or even impossible to eliminate. These shortcomings cannot be described as good or bad; they have become an integral part of his life, the foundation and cornerstone of his personality, shackles he willingly put on himself. If he were to discard them in order to become a more perfect person, it would be a betrayal of himself, and he would no longer be himself."
The man said thoughtfully, "That's interesting... So what do you think are his shackles?"
"He didn't say, but maybe it's related to death! After all, he so longed to live. Maybe if we solve this case, we'll find out?"
The Ferris father and son's target was a castle.
According to Wakasa, her father came to England 20 years ago to meet with business partners. However, a fire broke out at the castle. Although no one died, there were two victims:
After returning to Japan, Mr. Karasuma went mad, and his business partner's daughter also died of a serious illness after the fire.
"Dad, is no one living in this castle anymore?"
“After her daughter died, her mother was devastated and sealed this place off, refusing any investigation or visits, which led to many ghost stories. Not long after, the mother also passed away, and a few years later, the father remarried. His new wife felt it was a waste to leave it empty, so she turned it into a tourist attraction,” the man explained. “Like many parents who have lost their beloved children, they would preserve their child’s belongings intact. So I think there should still be some clues here.”
"How does Daddy want to get in?"
"Of course, we should enter through the main entrance in a proper and aboveboard manner!"
Even on their way to the castle, the little detective still found it surreal and couldn't help but complain, "Using an internet celebrity blogger as an excuse to rent a castle, can the cost really be reimbursed?"
"You don't need to worry about this kind of problem! Actually, it doesn't cost much, and this reason fits your persona perfectly."
"So Dad still remembers you're a food blogger..."
Upon arriving at their destination, the little detective looked out into the distance and saw the white castle standing quietly on the island in the center of the lake, as serene and elegant as a swan, as if he had stepped into a fairy tale world.
“Swan Castle, it’s said, was inspired by the famous piece Swan Lake,” said the cat dad.
"Swan?"
“That’s right. The original owner of the Heart of the Black Swan was Miss Swan’s great-grandmother, and the castle was built around that time, more than a hundred years ago. The castle was designed by a famous architect, and Karasuma Renya’s mansion, Twilight Villa, was also his work.”
Are the Swann and Karasuma families very close?
"We can be considered family friends."
"So, Osiris not only killed his own family's elders, but also the daughter of a family with which they had a long-standing relationship." The young detective was increasingly puzzled. "Is he trying to sever all ties with his family history?"
Upon entering the castle, the young detective found it odd: "There are absolutely no signs of a fire here?"
“The areas most severely affected by the fire were difficult to repair and were sealed off. Meanwhile, the other rooms with smaller damage areas were repainted. So you can see some inconsistencies in the decor.”
“That’s true. Dad, let’s go check out the sealed-off area.”
"Yes, but be careful, it's off-limits to visitors there."
Although Neuschwanstein Castle looks exquisite from the outside, it is actually quite large inside, and there is no map. The father and son wandered around for quite a while before finally finding the core area that was most severely damaged in the disaster: the restaurant.
Pushing open the heavy door, I entered the hall, which was covered in dust and cobwebs. The exquisite carvings on the walls were reduced to broken corners, and the elegant candlesticks on the long table had long since lost their luster.
"They say the fire started during dinner," said the cat father. His breath stirred up fine dust particles that swirled haphazardly in the dim light.
How many people were there at the time?
"There are many versions of the story, but based on the final result, there should only be two."
"But that doesn't make sense. Why would Miss Swan want to have dinner alone with Mr. Karasuma? Where are the others?"
"Twenty years ago, the Swan family no longer lived here regularly. They had a new house in the city, and the castle was only used for occasional vacations. According to the information I found, Mr. Swan was definitely not here that night; he went somewhere else. As for the others, it is not clear."
"That's even stranger. Mr. Karasuma was supposed to be looking for Mr. Swann, but the master isn't here?" the young detective asked, looking at the ravaged restaurant. "After his daughter's death, didn't Mr. Swann have any suspicions?"
"The Swan family declined guests and were extremely uncooperative with the police investigation."
"Could it be that Osiris has caught something on her, but she's afraid to say it?"
What happened to the relationship between the two families afterward?
"It seems there's no business dealings anymore."
The young detective observed the restaurant for a while, then went to the adjacent rooms. He looked at each room one by one, finally arriving at the reception room and stopping.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" the cat father asked.
"It's very empty here."
"Perhaps it's because the host wanted a spacious hall to entertain guests."
"No, something is missing."
"Huh, what is it?"
"Didn't Dad say that Neuschwanstein Castle was inspired by Swan Lake? Every room here reflects that, from the carvings on the walls, the door handles, the decorations in the corridors, to the chandeliers on the ceiling... Although some parts were burned beyond recognition, the overall design is still unified."
You mean swans?
The young detective calmly and confidently replied, "No, it's music. The elements in these rooms can be linked together to form musical notes, and the color scheme is also very regular: white, black, white, black, white—white, black, white, black, white, black, white. Black piano keys, white piano keys, black swans, white swans… This is the heart of the castle, the source of music. But there is no music here!"
"Could it be because of the fire?"
"Impossible! A fire couldn't burn everything so cleanly." The young detective's tone was extremely firm. "I bet there was a grand piano here, and it was black! That was the real Heart of the Black Swan, the beginning of Osiris's 20 years of using that stone to swindle and spread evil curses. He must have deliberately hidden that piano; I think the answer we're looking for is there."
Why are you so sure it was hidden, and not destroyed?
“Why destroy it? It’s a very important keepsake for Osiris. If it were me, I would definitely keep it. Besides, I think the piano is still in the castle. It’s an integral part of the castle; it’s just that Osiris changed the birthplace of music.”
"But the castle is so big, where do we even begin our search?"
"Dad, let's split up!"
Thanks to the combined efforts of the father and son, the black grand piano was finally found in the basement.
"Why is there a metronome on the piano? And why is the lid closed?" The little detective was puzzled as he observed the metronome, which was blackened by smoke and whose numbers were no longer legible.
"The lid must be closed to make it easier to move, right?" Before the cat father could finish speaking, the restless kitten opened the lid.
"Dad, there's something inside! Wait, that's strange, where's the support rod?"
"I'll hold that up for you. Look at what's that?"
The little detective looked closely at the beautifully bound "book" and realized it was actually a sheet of music. Because it was inside a piano, the sheet music wasn't damaged much.
"Dad, it's sheet music!"
"Don't tell me it's the sheet music for Swan Lake, that would be too deliberate, wouldn't it?" the cat dad joked, but seeing his son's serious expression, he couldn't help but panic a little. "What's on it?"
"It's not Swan Lake." The little detective's tone was confused and bewildered. "How strange, I don't understand. This...this is the St. Matthew Passion..."
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