I answered, “Yes, it’s all true.”
A short murmur spread and then subsided. I quietly straightened my back and looked at the people.
“I heard you noticed something unusual about Herschel Hopkins. How did you know?”
Because he died and came back to life? But I couldn’t say that. After a brief pause, I began to speak.
“He wasn’t wearing his ring. When I asked him about it, he tried to strangle me. His behaviour was odd. It looked like his body was desperately resisting, and as soon as he regained consciousness, he pushed me out of the house. At first, I thought he was being threatened.”
“After that, you went to see Owen Cassfire, didn’t you?”
“Yes, the professor gave me the address.”
“What did you request from him?”
No, the interrogation had shifted to me. Stay calm. They still see me as an ordinary citizen who saved Liam Moore. My suspicions, or rather, my secrets, haven’t been discovered yet.
Owen Cassfire smiled faintly. Despite his weary appearance, he looked quite different with just a pair of glasses. I explained while looking at him.
“Because I received a dahlia. I knew that anyone who received it would soon go missing or become a victim.”
“Please explain in detail, Miss Osmond.”
Now, the chairman’s tone was perfectly formal. Liam’s hand reached out and squeezed mine. I quietly held his hand and spoke.
“…Let’s go back to the case of the missing graduate student.”
The story is similar. I explained, leaving out what must not be revealed. The dahlia found in the missing person’s room, the dahlia in Liam’s room, and the connection we found. And how the spell on it chased people. I added that all the people who had gone missing so far had likely received a dahlia.
The chairman interrupted my speech and asked a question.
“How did you notice the spell on the dahlia? From what I hear, Miss Osmond, you had no knowledge of such things.”
“…I received help. I sought out someone who could give me advice. Investigating crime is about gathering information. That person taught me that the dahlia was strange.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell us that person’s name?”
I smiled gently.
“Plurititas, who lives in Halden.”
Gasps and exclamations burst out from all around. People were now looking at me as if I were half-mad. No, more accurately, they were reacting to the name ‘Plurititas.’ Was he really that intimidating? My smile turned awkward. This was embarrassing. I scratched my cheek.
“…He was quite helpful.”
“I commend your courage.”
That much? He just seemed like an eccentric, inscrutable old man to me. Though he looked young on the outside.
In any case, it seemed my information source was sufficiently explained. Or perhaps they understood the weight of the name Plurititas. Maybe they judged that he wouldn’t lie. The chairman, having calmed the confusion, shifted the topic back to the unknown entity that had possessed Herschel.
“Based on the information provided and Owen Cassfire’s testimony, the identity of that entity is clear.”
The Black King.
A capricious disaster descending upon the world, seeking pleasure and amusement.
“The lord of the stars, the one who tramples hope, a friend of darkness, a servant of the outer world, known by many names. But we shall call him by one name.”
“■■■■■.”
Liam Moore muttered. An unreadable, incomprehensible word slipped briefly from his lips. A word? A song? It sounded like a foreign language. In any case, it was something I could never imitate. No, it was a word I shouldn’t imitate.
Nya, na…na, sso….
A strange repetition of sounds. Starting with a very soft pronunciation, ending with a harsh sound scraping the bottom of hell. I could guess it was a name. Probably the king’s name.
The moment I heard it, every hair on my body stood on end. My mind involuntarily recalled the voice of the king.
‘I did not come to bring peace to the world.’
Those words were etched into my soul. It felt like the king had carved each word into my skin with a knife.
I can hear it. I can feel it! It feels like he’s always beside me. Like a decaying skull embracing my neck, singing to me that I can’t escape, that I am forever under his watch, that even my precious notebook won’t help.
…The chairman spoke. Fortunately, this time it was something I could understand.
“…The Crawling Chaos.”
And simultaneously something I couldn’t understand.
＊ ＊ ＊
Herschel’s punishment was lenient.
The atmosphere was tense, and I worried about the severity of the punishment, but after the word ‘Crawling Chaos’ was mentioned, everyone’s attention shifted. It was as if that entity were present, and everyone spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid it might hear.
Thanks to this, Herschel would only undergo intensive treatment in Greenwich for half a year. It didn’t seem like he would face any major issues beyond that.
“That’s good news, Professor!”
As soon as the hearing ended, I smiled at Herschel, who came over to our side.
“I really thought something serious would happen to you….”
“It’s all thanks to you, Miss Jane. To be honest, I was a bit worried myself.”
So, it usually doesn’t end with such a mild disposition? Suddenly, Greenwich started to seem frightening.
Herschel winked and then turned his gaze to the people passing by. A few of them offered formal greetings, saying he had worked hard.
“You ended up locked up.”
Liam grumbled.
“Becoming a godfather and then beating up your godson.”
Ah, right. The professor was the one who attacked him. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing whose side to take between these two. As people left, they glanced at us, making me feel embarrassed. How should I deal with these two bickering adults?
“Little Moore, you weren’t exactly innocent either.”
Herschel smiled benevolently, treating Liam like a child.
“And, I wasn’t acting on my own will then, but you attacked as if you had been waiting for this opportunity, like an old rat….”
“Herschel Hopkins!”
“Such disrespect! Did you see that, Miss Jane? This is how he behaves!”
“This old man, why are you dragging Jane into this?”
Sigh. I pulled the two of them outside the conference room. Everyone was leaving, and we couldn’t keep fighting like this.
“Stop fighting. Who do you think has had the hardest time here?”
I had the hardest time.
“Professor, act your age. If you keep this up, I won’t visit you until you’re released. Liam Moore, show some respect to your elders. If you keep this up, I’ll kick you out of the house.”
Both of them closed their mouths as if on cue. Nagging was indeed the most effective method. I’ll have to use it again next time.
＊ ＊ ＊
Not long after, Herschel left, leaving the two of us behind. He had some minor tests to undergo, but they weren’t anything to worry about, he said. They were checking if ‘The Crawling Chaos’ had affected his body, a sort of health examination. Since that was settled, I turned to look at Liam Moore.
“Huh?”
“Give me your hand.”
I grabbed the hand he obediently offered. I rolled up the robe and pulled up the sleeve to reveal his forearm.
Liam Moore showed a sheepish smile, but his eyes widened as my hand touched the scar. Now he seemed embarrassed.
The skin on his forearm was white and distorted. It looked like a burn. Or like a lightning strike. The part where he had been bitten by a hunk of meat was sunken in, and although new skin was slowly growing, the scar would probably never disappear.
As my fingers traced the wound, he called my name.
“Jane.”
“It’s just… I feel sad….”
“Is the scar that unappealing now?”
Liam pressed his forehead gently against mine and smiled softly. His ash-coloured eyes looked at me warmly.
“Do you no longer want to cherish me?”
Longer notice this time! I’d be very thankful if you read this orz ;;
Just today, the volume version of this novel was released on RIDI, and to my surprise, i found out that chapter 72 (this one!) is the end of volume 2 (out of 6, we still have a long way to go with liam and jane). As such, i’ve decided to compile the chapters in volumes, following the original! The first two volumes can be found on my kofi shop /ringring/shop/bailonz).
this being said, thank you for reading this novel with me until now <3