After the theft of the ring was discovered, Shizun and the four brothers reconfirmed that the barrier function was intact, and it was confirmed that the barrier was functioning normally.
As expected, the ring was stolen by some means.
With that conclusion, Shizun and the others retreated to the living room with dejected faces.
The atmosphere in the living room thereafter was extremely bad.
Fatigue, remorse, suspicion, and anger mixed together, and everyone had a haggard look in their eyes.
“…”
And for some reason, Elm’s gaze towards me became even more stern.
No, it wasn’t for some reason.
When I entered the room and confirmed the character ‘未’ at the corner of the room, Elm also read the direction of my gaze.
Elm ran his hand over the surface of the square tile on the floor at the right end, where the character was carved, and muttered,
“…The scratch that was here is gone.”
Even now, I shudder when I recall Elm’s expression afterwards.
That was the look of someone who had completely identified me as an enemy.
I can understand how he felt.
I just made a scratch on the floor with a gamer’s instinct, but it’s inconceivable that a scratch on the floor would heal.
From a third party’s perspective, my actions, which seemed to have foreseen this, could easily be mistaken for being related to the crime.
However, there was no way I could explain, “This is a game world,” as I had to my companions. Therefore, I couldn’t explain why the scratch on the floor disappeared.
This suspicion could only be cleared by catching the true culprit.
But for that, for now, I must sleep.
Given the situation, Shizun’s opinion that everyone should sleep in this room where they could keep an eye on each other was naturally accepted.
Looking around, other companions were also gradually preparing to sleep in various parts of the room.
Perhaps due to fatigue, Ena, holding Fu, seemed to be already breathing soundly in her sleep.
The only ones not in a sleeping posture were likely Mitsuki and Elm, who had volunteered for night watch.
I fell into the sweet world of dreams, all the while feeling Elm’s gaze constantly piercing me.
“Good morning, Soma-sama.”
“Waaaaah!!”
The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with the worst awakening, a close-up of an old man’s face with dark circles under his eyes.
I wonder how long Elm had been waiting in that position before I woke up.
Imagining that made it a doubly heart-wrenching experience, but I would pretend it was just the right amount of wake-up call.
“Huh…?”
Regardless, it’s true that I’m wide awake now.
As I tried to sit up, I noticed my body felt strangely heavy.
“Ringo!? Maki!?”
Upon closer inspection, Ringo was curled up around my chest, and Maki was on my back, clinging to me.
What’s more, for some reason, Sahzan was sleeping near me, clinging to my leg.
As expected of Sahzan, to drag me down even when sleeping.
“They were all anxious. After you fell asleep, they gathered without anyone prompting them, and ended up like this.”
Mitsuki, the only one awake among our companions, approached and explained as she sensed I had woken up.
“I see…”
I can understand their anxiety in this situation.
I chuckled, thinking I couldn’t blame them too much, and asked, “Huh? Then, what about Ena?”
When I asked, Mitsuki pointed silently at a spot.
In that direction, Ena was sleeping blissfully on the sofa, holding Fu.
Soon, everyone had woken up, but that’s when the real trouble began.
Everyone was in a bad mood due to waking up and lack of sleep, and a witch trial-like search for the culprit began.
Fai and Miz were arguing, Asu was shouting, and Fu was flustered, when an unexpected person calmed the commotion.
In the room filled with malicious clamor,
“Food!! We don’t have enough food!!”
The cheap maid’s voice, overpowering the rest, echoed and stopped everything.
The cheap maid, who had drawn everyone’s attention, trembled but managed to hold her ground.
“Finding the culprit is important, but if we don’t buy food, I think everyone will die!!”
To her unassailable logic, Fai and Miz, who had been shouting, looked down in embarrassment.
“I am here to demand a temporary truce based on the food shortage and the necessity of buying provisions!!”
Thus, the ugly dispute over flesh and blood came to a temporary end.
Then, another potential argument arose when Miz declared, “I also have an urgent matter to attend to outside today,” but it was resolved by Shizun’s proposal that “Those going outside will undergo strict baggage checks.”
The only way to go outside from here was to use the transfer device.
And if they can confirm that the person using the transfer device does not have the ring, then at least the ring will not be taken out of the mansion, according to their logic.
Everyone knew it was only a temporary measure, but there was no better idea.
Even Fai, who had been reluctant until the end, eventually relented, and the immediate course of action was adopted: body checks for anyone going outside.
Since only the women were going out this time, Mitsuki, Maki, and Fu were tasked with checking the belongings of the two departing individuals.
“Search thoroughly, even inside their clothes. Make sure there’s nothing suspicious.”
Following Fai’s instructions, a thorough search was conducted in a separate room… or so it seemed.
At least, judging by the cheap maid’s statement, “Ugh. I can’t get married anymore,” and Miz’s forced brave words, “If my suspicion can be cleared with this much, it’s a cheap price to pay,” it was quite elaborate.
Furthermore, as a thorough measure to prevent accomplices from passing the ring after the body check, they decided that no one else would come into contact with the two, treating them like escorted prisoners as they were guided to the mansion’s exit and the stone circle where the transfer device was located.
Shizun activated the device, and once the temporarily unusable transfer device was operational, Miz transferred outside first, saying, “Well then, I’m off,” and the cheap maid also disappeared, saying, “I’ll buy lots of food!”
There, I subtly stole glances at the faces of those who remained.
First, I met the butler’s gaze, who hid a glinting look behind his polite demeanor, but I pretended not to see it.
First, Shizun, Fai, and the others who remained in the mansion looked somewhat dejected.
They seemed to be pondering whether this was truly the right course of action and if it would have any real meaning.
Meanwhile, Maki and Mitsuki were actively discussing the incident, racking their brains, but they still seemed far from a solution.
I wish I could have had Maki solve it, but time seemed to be running out.
I deliberately took a step forward to gather everyone’s attention and said grandly,
“Well then! Shall we go outside too!”
Fai snapped at my out-of-the-blue remark.
“What are you talking about?!
Now that we’ve come this far, I’m afraid you’re also suspects!
We’ll conduct body checks on you, you understand?”
In response to his rough words, Sahzan retorted irritably, “What’s that! That’s tyrannical! I absolutely refuse!” I stopped her with a hand and said,
“No. That will not be necessary.
I already know where the ring is.”
I stated it clearly.
“Wh-what!? What are you saying…”
I stood in front of a flustered Shizun and asked in return,
“Shizun, you can use all the magic: fire, water, earth, and wind, can’t you?”
“Y-yes, but right now, about the ring…”
“Then, can you use this magic too?”
Interrupting Shizun, I stated the name of a certain spell.
“Ah, ah. I can use that, but…”
“Please use it. That will reveal everything.”
Shizun was taken aback by my persistent words, but seeing that I wouldn’t say anything more, she finally gave up.
With a half-believing look, she cast the spell I had mentioned.
And then…
“No way, this is…!!”
Shizun, her expression changed dramatically, nodded at my suggestion, and we all left the mansion.
After leaving the mansion, Shizun cast an invisibility spell on us, and we pursued ‘her’ who had left the mansion earlier.
We were a total of twelve people, everyone who was in the mansion except for ‘her’.
Of course, we asked Mitsuki to find the other person who left at the same time as ‘her’, and after explaining the situation, they joined us.
Everyone in pursuit had serious expressions, but sweat beaded on my palms, who knew everything.
The curtain would soon fall on this case.
However, I couldn’t relax.
The possibility of failure remained until the moment ‘she’ obtained that item.
I suppressed my growing impatience and followed ‘her’ back.
As we proceeded silently, ‘her’ steady footsteps began to change.
“She’s straying…!?”
‘Her’ path, which had been proceeding as self-declared, suddenly shifted. She suddenly veered off and started moving towards a deserted place.
The faces of the mansion’s occupants, who had been watching, showed expressions of disbelief.
Based on the flow of the conversation, they should have no doubt that ‘she’ was the true culprit, but their disbelief was still strong.
However, as if to betray their trust, ‘she’ stumbled forward with unsteady steps and rushed towards a man waiting ahead.
The man ‘she’ was meeting was a portly, merchant-like man.
Facing him, ‘she’ pleaded with a trembling voice,
“As promised, I’ve brought it!!
You’ll treat those children with this, won’t you?”
In response, the merchant-like man let out a disgusting chuckle and his flabby chin rippled.
“Of course, of course. With this, I will pay for the treatment of those slum brats… no, those children.
Now, more importantly, the ring…”
It was a very clear picture.
Now, everyone watching should have understood the situation.
All that remained was to wait for the decisive moment.
“Understood. It’s a promise, absolutely!”
And the moment arrived quickly.
‘She’ raised her hand and cast the spell.
“Magical Pocket!!”
Immediately after, a portal to another dimension opened in front of ‘her’.
‘She’ unhesitatingly reached into it and pulled out a jet-black ring, the Ring of Immortality.
From behind, I heard someone gasp.
In that shadow, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It was quite agonizing, but now it’s all good.
From here on, it’s Maki’s turn to shine, the deduction reveal time.
Seeing ‘her’ about to hand the ring to the man, I slowly stood up.
“Stop right there!!”
As I shouted, I simultaneously moved out of the range of the concealment magic.
Then, Shizun and the others, who dispelled their concealment magic, also gathered behind me one after another.
“Soma-san! And everyone else… Wh-why?”
Ignoring the flustered ‘her’, I slowly raised my finger.
“The culprit who called herself the Phantom Thief Night Wind and stole the Arken Family’s treasure, the Ring of Immortality.
It is…”
And pointing clearly at the terrified ‘her’, I shouted,
“The maid of the Arken Family, Lilm!! It was you!!”
