Chapter 427

"…It's your flame and the Fourteen Stones." Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, "Indeed, if that's the case, this case will become even more troublesome."

While the members of Chaldea were confused as they re-examined the case, the detectives gathered in the banquet hall on the first floor were also analyzing this series of events from a perspective that had nothing to do with the mystery.

"...I have something I want to confirm, Dr. Watson." Conan Edogawa asked while Watson was sorting out the case for him, "The reason why you didn't find any clues in this series of cases...is it because you didn't find the motive of the perpetrator?"

"Why do you think so?" Watson closed the notebook in his hand and asked Conan Edogawa gently.

"Because of the case that happened in Kyoto during the winter vacation, you identified the murderer based on the motive, right?" Edogawa Conan looked at Watson with a serious expression, "Generally speaking, detective reasoning requires the support of evidence and clues to be established, but your reasoning——"

"It is natural to identify the murderer based on the motive - because the reasoning of that case was not done by Sherlock or Holmes." Watson smiled calmly, subtly hiding the aura that he usually used to reprimand Holmes and Moriarty. "Our collaborators are not just members of MI5 or MI6."

"There is a very unique detective whose reasoning is different from others. In his reasoning, the two elements of "Howdunit" and "Whodunit" are unnecessary. Only the "Whydunit" is the most important."

"As long as the motive for the crime is known, his reasoning will stand."

"So, Holmes and his team came back to check the scene this time - after all, there are many things that can't be noticed by just relying on photos or videos." Watson glanced at his notes. "As for the person you mentioned, he was harassed by MI5 when the first case happened last year - because he is in the UK, it will be easier to contact him than those of us who are far away in Japan."

"So, the victims of the first and second cases, according to your speculation, correspond to 'King Arthur' and 'Count of Monte Cristo' respectively..." Conan Edogawa redirected the topic back to the current serial murder case, "So, who is the character corresponding to the victim of the third case?"

"Christine from The Phantom of the Opera." Watson glanced downstairs, "The third victim's death scene was much more gorgeous than the first two - although she was also killed in her own home. The round table once considered the possibility that the deceased corresponded to the Phantom of the Opera, but it was denied by the relevant people."

"When each case occurred, the Round Table had already sought help from all the relevant helpers they could think of." Watson sighed helplessly and retracted his gaze. "To the point where they have invited so many detectives to solve the case together today can only prove that all the people they have consulted have failed to provide useful reasoning directions. It's not just that Holmes and Moriarty couldn't find any clues, but that none of these people could find any unreasonableness."

"After all, the reason we ask outside detectives to come in and deduce is to find something that is different from our findings."

"...In the third case, the victim's body was covered with wounds that looked like claw marks from a ferocious beast. Because there were too many wounds, it was impossible to determine which one was the fatal wound. We could only determine that the victim died from excessive blood loss." The white horse detective squatted on the ground to check the case data projected on the lower part of the wall. "Unlike the previous two cases, in this case, the objects with symbolic meaning appeared next to the victim—"

"It's the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" with the same name as the song sung by "Christine" and "Phantom of the Opera". Those staves covered the entire scene. Professionals confirmed that all the staves on the scene were of the same song - the murderer may have copied a large number of staves specifically to set up the scene..."

"Based on this, the Knights of the Round Table also conducted an on-site investigation - no printing shop has recently copied such a large number of staves; if the murderer printed them independently, they can also investigate the purchase channels of printing ink... But so far, the Round Table has found nothing in this regard."

"...Perhaps we can only believe that the murderer secretly used the company's printing machine to print these scores in batches and in small quantities multiple times." Merlin returned to the banquet hall at some point and looked nostalgically at the projected comments he had written on the data. "After all, a few thin sheets of music can be easily mixed in with work documents and taken out without attracting attention."

"…are you done?"

After spotting Merlin, the detectives around him stepped back and subconsciously asked Merlin about the situation of the Knights of the Round Table.

"They're not fighting." Merlin sighed with real emotion, trying to explain to the detectives that this was just a "harmonious and friendly" daily interaction between the Knights of the Round Table. "Sir Mordred is the more impatient type among us. It's a normal part of the Round Table for our conversation to develop into this. Please don't mind it."

"Besides, besides Sir Mordred who violently punishes everyone except the king equally, Sir Galahad also often tries to violently punish Sir Lancelot. Of course, even the good-tempered Sir Bedivere who had been staying in the banquet hall as a waiter, sometimes smiled and taught Sir Tristan a lesson."

“So you’re here, Merlin.” A blond man with a voice similar to Merlin’s, who fits the name ‘Arthur’ in every sense of the word, interrupted Merlin. “Sir Bedivere has already gone, why are you still here? The round table meeting is about to begin.”

"She pretended nothing happened and followed you to the meeting room?" Merlin frowned, avoiding Arthur's gaze, "In that case, if she attends the round table meeting, can't I just stay here?"

"No, Merlin," Arthur shook his head and reminded him, "your students want me to answer the detective's questions in the banquet hall for you - because, in terms of answering questions, you have a criminal record just like that guy. Strictly speaking, the whole round table is not confident that you can answer their questions."

"'Round Table'?"

Many detectives present showed some surprise at this statement.

"No, there are no new findings about the case." Arthur sighed helplessly, and then he responded to the curious looks of the detectives. "It's just a meeting to solve some "small problems" within our company. Didn't you all hear it on the radio earlier? The sound of Sir Mordred getting furious and attacking others."

——So that thunderous sound that sounded like a thunderstorm was an attack from Mordred?

The detectives' eyes glazed over.

"There is also the order of self-introductions to the public." Arthur laughed, as if he had thought of something interesting. "Although when the group appears on stage, the first person to introduce himself must be 'King Arthur' - but even if the 'Knights of the Round Table' have a seating order, when the time comes to actually appear on stage, everyone will still quarrel over the order of appearance."

"So, please wait a moment - they will come to you after they decide the final order of appearance."

"After all, we are the clients this time." Merlin smiled and patted Arthur's shoulder, then left the banquet hall like a dandelion. "We have to have a certain amount of trust in the detectives we commissioned, so that their curiosity will not be diverted by other things besides the case. Ah, if Holmes and his team had made any discoveries before, we wouldn't have to ask the detectives to come here."

"If you say that, you'll be invited to tea by the British government, right?" Arthur looked at Merlin worriedly and took out a microphone from the cabinet next to the wall. "Although I think it's more likely that you were treated like sports equipment by the old and strong professor before you left this manor."

"Don't worry, no one is better at escaping than Mr. Merlin—"

Merlin's voice floated from the dark corridor outside the banquet hall, carrying with it an endless echo.

"… Merlin shouldn't be proud of his outstanding ability to escape, right?" The old man standing in the corner of the wall that was converted into a bar like a passerby bartender subtly stopped what he was doing and asked the silver-haired college student who was sitting obediently at the bar, "Is there any way?"

"If you try hard, you should be able to catch him with the thread of fate..." The male college student looked at the old man with a disapproving expression, "Are you really going to beat him up? Don't twist your waist again. After all, you are an old man, and you are not as flexible as the young detectives and young professors over there - of course, you are not as flexible as a college student like me."

“Is it really okay for you to say that?” The old man showed a heartbroken expression, but he resumed mixing the cocktail. “Obviously, I am the ‘future you’—the young person.”

"How could my 'future self' grow up to be an old man like you? Although due to my age, I can't be as young as the young professor over there." The male college student pouted in disdain, watching the old man push a cocktail in front of him, "Vesper Martini - why don't you try mixing this in front of those black guys?"

"Fufufu, I'm just an old man who's good at mixing drinks. I won't be as energetic as the young people to provoke the young killer."