“I’ve heard about it, but seeing it in person is quite something.”
“You know, Soma. I think it’s a stretch to call this a normal mansion.”
“I finally understand! That’s why it’s an isolated island!”
“An isolated island… Alone in the land. No, rather, in the world…”
“…Ah, a cow.”
The companions, having arrived in front of the Arken Residence, began to speak one after another. It was understandable, of course, that they would be surprised to see it for the first time.
The entrance to the Arken Residence that I guided them to was an empty wasteland. Or rather, it was a stone circle standing alone in the desolate wilderness. Naturally, there was no sign of a mansion, or even a house, around it. There was only a circle about three meters in radius, surrounded by stone pillars about 30 centimeters high.
However, I led my companions, who were tilting their heads in confusion, inside the circle of standing stone pillars and had them touch the stone pedestal at its center. The moment they did, the surrounding scenery warped and twisted, and a grand mansion, no less impressive than the Cat Ear Mansion, appeared before our eyes.
“Alright, we’re here. This is the Arken Residence.”
That’s right. The Arken Residence is a mansion built in a pocket dimension through the application of barrier magic. It can only be reached via a transfer device that utilizes a stone circle, making it a truly fantastical isolated island.
Upon arriving in front of the Arken Residence, the first thing I checked was the transfer device. Using this transfer device is simple. Just as we did to get here, touching the pedestal at the center of the stone circle will suffice. That alone allows for travel between the pocket dimension where the Arken Residence exists and the original world. However…
“…Nothing’s happening.”
Even when I touched the center of the transfer device again, it did not activate. A smirk involuntarily spread across my face. It seems the event is functioning exactly as intended. This place can now be considered a complete isolated island.
No, on second thought, since it’s not connected by land, “isolated island” might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s certainly a more isolated environment than a mere deserted island. And there was one more thing I wanted to confirm.
“Mitsuki! Anyone will do. Could you try to locate someone using your ring?”
Mitsuki’s cat ears twitched once in response to my sudden question before she nodded.
“Understood. …Oh?”
Uncharacteristically, Mitsuki furrowed her brow. Her expression grew more serious as time passed, and eventually, her cat ears began to spin like antennas, as if she were sensing someone’s presence.
…So cute. Even though her cat ears moved skillfully, they couldn’t rotate a full 360 degrees. The way she was trying so hard to compensate for that only amplified her criminally adorable charm. While I was engrossed in such internal commentary, I stared intently at her cat ears.
“Wh-where are you looking?!”
Mitsuki, noticing my gaze, covered her cat ears with both hands with an uncharacteristic haste. She glared at me with eyes that held a mix of accusation and embarrassment, a stark contrast to her usual hundred-percent-disappointed gaze. Having known Mitsuki since our Game days, I thought I knew her quite well, but I still couldn’t quite figure out what exactly flustered her.
“…Nn! It seems I cannot pinpoint the locations of humans outside this island. The Explorer’s Ring only managed to identify the positions of the six people present here.”
Mitsuki quickly regained her poker face and replied, but her cheeks were faintly flushed, and her hands were still over her ears. More importantly, the tips of her flattened cat ears, peeking out from beneath her hands, occasionally twitched as if shy, suggesting she hadn’t fully recovered.
“I-I see. That’s good news for me.”
It felt wrong to pry further, so I went along with Mitsuki’s report and steered the conversation back to the main topic. In fact, the fact that Mitsuki’s Explorer’s Ring couldn’t track those outside this area was welcome information for me. If that’s the case, then even if I used “Eye of Heaven,” which has similar effects to an Explorer’s Ring, it probably wouldn’t be able to locate me.
Thinking about it, exploration-type items merely indicate the direction of the target, so they shouldn’t be able to indicate someone in another dimension. Even from a Game perspective, this place is likely a completely separate map with no connection to the original world, making any directional query pointless. With this, I can rest assured that Layla will be safe as long as we’re in this space.
“Well then, now that one concern is out of the way, shall we head to the mansion? I need to see everyone’s skills.”
As I spoke, everyone nodded with determined expressions. For this event, we had decided that each person would act on their own judgment and give their all to solve the case.
We had decided on two main policies on our way here. The first was: “I know the truth behind the incident, but I will not tell my companions.” From my perspective, it’s safest for Layla if we remain in this space for as long as possible, so there’s little benefit in resolving it quickly. Furthermore, considering what I’ve done so far, it would be unnatural for a man who just arrived to know the entire truth of the incident; therefore, I wanted to avoid solving it with Game knowledge right away.
Thus, instead of me going all out, “the plan is for everyone except me to investigate the incident independently and aim to resolve it based on their own judgment.” This way, we wouldn’t draw suspicious looks from the mansion’s residents, and it would align with Maki and the others’ enthusiasm. In fact, Maki had even sternly warned me,
“Soma! Absolutely no spoilers!”
She’s undoubtedly the one enjoying this event the most. After all, it’s a “Nekoneko” event, so I suppose expecting too much might be a bit much. Of course, I’m not thrilled about the prospect of my companions solving the case too quickly. However, even in the worst-case scenario, it should buy us time, so while there’s no gain, there’s no loss either. I suppose it’s within an acceptable range. On the other hand, I know from my Game knowledge that even if the deduction doesn’t go well, no one will die in this event. If we don’t consider Layla, this is a rare “Nekoneko” event with few downsides for players.
Temporarily freed from the pressure of being a Death Stalker, I lightly passed by the small farm in front of the Arken Residence and the freely roaming cows, and with a refreshing feeling of long-overdue clarity, I knocked on the gate of the Arken Residence.
“Excuse me! My name is Soma, from the Knights’ Order. Is the master of the house in?”
After initially being met with suspicious glances from the mansion’s residents, their attitudes softened considerably once we presented the letter from the Knight Commander.
“I see, so that’s how it is! Lord Spark Hawk… ah, we welcome you.”
The letter seemed to contain some explanation of the situation. Shizun, the master of the house and head of the Arken Family, immediately got to the point.
“Indeed, I possess the crest you mentioned. It is called the ‘Crest of the Sacred Shield,’ and it has the exact same shape and size as the medal you showed me. There is no doubt that it is what you are looking for.”
Shizun paused for a moment, then looked directly into my eyes and began to speak again.
“If a Hero who defeated the Demon Lord requires it, I would not be opposed to handing it over. However, before that, would you grant me one favor?”
“What do I need to do?”
I nodded and asked what was clearly an expected question. Upon hearing it, Shizun’s expression became even more serious as he replied.
“I would like you to protect the ‘Ring of Immortality,’ a crystalized barrier magic created by the founder of the Arken Family and the symbol of the Arken Family head.”
As he spoke, Shizun produced a card. On the white card, about the size of a playing card, elegant script danced across it.
“On a night when the blue star shines in the sky, the wind blowing at dusk will steal the supreme treasure ‘Ring of Immortality.’ – Phantom Thief Nightwind”
I had seen this text many times before. Maki let out an excited “Ooh!” at the dramatic threat, while Sahzan flipped her hair with a “Hmph,” looking annoyed. In contrast, Shizun clutched his head with a somber expression.
“And ‘the night when the blue star shines in the sky’ is precisely tonight.”
Incidentally, if you visit here after receiving the letter from the Knight Commander, it doesn’t matter if you arrive the same day, the next day, two days later, or even three years later; the day you arrive will always be the day of the threat. For this reason, the threat card, in addition to “the night when the blue star shines in the sky,” includes ten patterns in total, such as “the night when the moon hides its form” and “the night when red and blue stars meet,” and is written to match the current day. But how this works in this world is beyond me. In the Game, it would be understandable, but in this world, the threat letter must have arrived before the Knight Commander received his letter, so naturally, the wording should have been fixed… As I pondered such Schrödinger’s cat-like questions, Mitsuki curiously asked from over my shoulder.
“However, was it alright to let people like us in at this time? I mean, there’s a possibility that we might be the Nightwind in question.”
“We requested assistance from Lord Spark Hawk with whom we have a long-standing relationship. If those he chose are here, there is no reason to object. Furthermore… I wanted to avoid escalating matters, so I couldn’t resort to calling the Knights’ Order.”
In response to Mitsuki’s point, Shizun leaned forward slightly and whispered, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
“All records of the transfer device here reach me. Therefore, I can fully ascertain who is present in this mansion. This, of course, is no exception when this threat notice arrived.”
“Then…”
Continuing his words, Shizun nodded with a grave expression.
“Yes. At the time this threat notice was issued, there were six people in this mansion besides myself: the butler and maids who serve in this house, and my four children.”
He stated clearly, as if he were a detective in a story.
“—The culprit is among us!”
Six suspects. In this Western-style mansion, completely cut off from the outside world, something is about to happen tonight!
