Memories 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44; Skill 10, 11

[boxupallthebutterflies]

iiiiiiiiit's MEMORY/SKILL CATCHUP TIME!! I've given up on formatting memories TOO carefully or writing up reactions. I. I JUST NEED THEM HERE!! Maybe some of the quotes are misattributed idek anymore

Memory 36: chocolate nail (taken): TrivNeu: Ronove is a TROLL; introducing Ange
RONOVE: Good morning, Milady. My, my, you do appear to be in a good mood. What a pleasant awakening you seem to have had.

BEATO: What do you mean, pleasant awakening...! I was so excited, I couldn't sleep a wink. After all, the curtain is rising on the fun, fun fourth game...!

It seemed that she truly had been so excited that she hadn't gotten any sleep.

Was the fact that she showed absolutely no signs of lacking sleep because she was young, or because her mental age was young?

Ronove chose not to say that aloud, and laughed 'pu ku ku' instead.

BEATO: I really ran that Battler into the ground last time! Ah, the look on his face when he was like 'you tricked me'! That was so pathe-tic! Even so, is that guy still feeling down?

RONOVE: Feeling down, you say...?

BEATO: Hm, well, that's right. ...That person is a bit too trusting for his age, right?

RONOVE: That is true. Although you could call that his charm. Pu ku ku...

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*cackle*! Isn't that true, isn't that true? Well, speaking of which. Didn't he completely fall for that one last time?

RONOVE: Yes, completely and splendidly. ...You violated the purity caused by never being tricked by a person once since birth, as well as his rosebud-like innocence, all to your heart's content. ............Even the joy of running around a field covered with beautiful new snow on a winter morning and trampling it completely wouldn't even begin to compare. Didn't you take Battler-sama's innocent heart, and quite thrillingly, splendidly, atrociously, mercilessly, and unculturedly go just a little too far...? And you insulted him in the highest degree, enough to make one uneasy. Most people would start to feel down. Pu kukukuku, so much so that they wouldn't want to see your face again.

BEATO: S, so, you understand...! I also, umm, thought that if he was so disheartened that he wouldn't join us at the table, even though the fourth game is finally starting, that would be such a pain, and thinking that it would be better to prepare a counter-measure for that case beforehand, I asked you first...!

RONOVE: Hmmmm... In that case, perhaps it would be best to prepare a counter-measure. Most unfortunately, due to your 'North Wind and the Sun Strategy', Battler-sama has received quite a shock.

BEATO: H, hoh.........A shock, you say...how badly...?

Beato lowered her voice slightly, asking timidly.

Ronove went along with that, and lowered his voice in the same way.

RONOVE: ......In truth, he has been crouching and clutching at his knees for some time now. I spoke to him several times, but he did not answer. I also carried him food, but he made no effort to touch it.

BEATO: ...Th, that is...troublesome...... Is he really feeling that down......?

RONOVE: Pu kukukuku. It is only natural. ...After all, you did it tho・rough・ly, Milady. That would make most people start to distrust humans.

BEATO: Hoh, distrust of humans? How convenient! Let him give up on humans and trust witches, wah-hah-hah-ha...............O, ...oh, *cough*. Sorry, I shouldn't fool around too much.

Beato had tried to joke about it, but it seemed that the situation was quite serious, and she hid her laughter, reading between the lines.

BEATO: ......Is it really that serious...? Sh, should we wait just a little longer before beginning the fourth game...?

RONOVE: Because Lady Bernkastel's guest will be coming, it may be more appropriate to open the fourth game quickly. However, it might be useful if you were to show a little consideration, Milady.

BEATO: Consideration! Consideration, you say?! How should I show that...?! He is feeling down, so...th, that's right, shall I cheer him up?!

RONOVE: When a person's heart is dark and closed off, it is useless to interact with them darkly. You can do nothing but shine with a brightness stronger than the dark.

[...]

BEATO: Y, yaa~y, yahooooooooo, g'moooooorning, Battleeee~r!! Are you still moping so early in the morni~ng?!?! It's the beginning of a new day, and a new game, so let's get our spirits uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!

...She opened the door forcefully.

Like a marathon runner drawn on a certain caramel box, with her hands held high and with an idiotic cheeriness, ......Beato appeared.

For some reason, flags from around the world and confetti scattered about, looking completely stupid and out of place.

......Battler and Beelzebub, who had been fighting over the croissant, completely forgot about their argument, speechless.

BEELZE: Ky, ...kyahahahaha! Good morning, Beatrice-sama! That's all for me! Here, Battler-kun, say aa~h!

BATTLER: Mmmm!! Mmm mmm, *chomp*, ...*gulp*. .....................H, hey, morning, Beato.........Glad to see you're in perfect form this morning.

........................

Beato and Battler looked at each other. ...It seemed that neither had a clue what was going on with the other.

BEATO: B, ......Battleer......? Wh, wh, what is this, Ronoveeeee, doesn't he look like he's in high spiriiiiiiits?!! He isn't clutching his knees! And he's answering! Wait a sec, he was even in the middle of eating!!

RONOVE: Pu kukukukuku!! No, no, he was sleeping like a baby in his futon, clutching his knees. I informed him that it was time to wake up, but he just wouldn't get up. I tried to feed him, but it seems that a naughty cat wandered in and prevented that. Pu ku ku, pu- ku ku ku ku!

BEATO: G, .........gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh...!!! You tricked meeeeeeeeeee...!!

BATTLER: Heh, you should talk. Weren't you the one who played that massive trick last time? I don't have a clue what's going on, but you got what you deserved. ...By the way, Ronove, nice one.

RONOVE: Pu kukuku, thank you very much, Battler-sama.

The two men stuck up their thumbs as though they understood each other, chuckling together.

For a while, Beato acted very energetically, trying to hide her embarrassment......

BATTLER: Heh. Don't take me so lightly. Did you really think I'd still be hiding in a corner, holding my knees?

BEATO: *cackle*. Then who was that person crying their eyes out in frustration last time? You could've gathered your tears in a jar and called it face lotion.

BATTLER: Sh, shut up. That was, um, just because I was a little surprised by your crappy act. I might have looked a little lame, but don't think that the same move'll work twice.

BEATO: Of course. And don't disappoint me by falling for the same move over and over again, alright? *cackle*cackle*!

BATTLER: Ihihi, yeah, just you watch. I'll teach you that I'm a guy who gets stronger every time he's beaten down.
............But Beato.

BEATO: Hmm, what?

BATTLER: Don't do it again.

BEATO: Hoh? Why's that? So you really are weak against the rear attack?

BATTLER: ............You and I are enemies, and we'll certainly never join forces...I now understand that clearly. ......So never again do something as unpleasant as trying to make me confused about that fact.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*! You say that, but I know your weaknesses, .........

Beato thought they were still joking around, ...but that had disappeared from Battler's expression some time ago.

Beato felt as though his eyes were like the surface of black tea which had cooled down...

BATTLER: You hear me? Don't do it again.

BEATO: ..................I don't get it. I might do it again when you've forgotten, right...?

BATTLER: Don't do it again.

BEATO: ............nn, ...............

Pierced by his strong and forceful gaze, Beato held her tongue. She may have thought that Battler would surely break that silence with laughter. ...However, Battler's serious expression didn't change in the slightest.

So to break that silence, Beato had no choice but to start laughing herself.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*, hahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...!! Very well. You and I are worthy opponents. No matter how good our relationship, we are never anything more than a pair of enemies. If you have not mistaken this, that is enough for me.

BATTLER: ...That's right. I forgot that you were my enemy for just a second. I won't show such a disgraceful display again. ......I won't fall for your rear attack again. Not again...!

BEATO: ...........................Fu! Hahhahahyahhahha!! It seems that I am not the only one who cannot wait for the fourth game. I am pleased, Battler. Come, take your seat.

BATTLER: ...Yep. Just how I like it. ......Clever little tricks won't work anymore.

BEATO: Stop acting so tough. You remain in a state of surrender for the last mystery in the previous game, the mystery of Nanjo's murder...!

BATTLER: .........I'm still waiting for an answer on that one. But that doesn't mean that I've lost heart. I will definitely break your 'red truth', and show that I can deny witches...!

BEATO: Hmph. A good disposition. You truly are a man like a phoenix. Don't betray my expectations! With that, let us raise the curtains on the fourth game. But before that, it seems that we must welcome a new guest.

BATTLER: A guest......

BEATO: You remember as well, right? That mystery girl, who appeared at the very end of the last game without an invitation, ruining my fun.

BATTLER: ......That person.........

BEATO: She says that she wants to join our game. I sent her an official invitation, inviting her to join this match. Ronove, call the guest.

ANGE: ......There's no need. I'm already here.

The voice that answered Beato's call came from the darkness in a corner of the room. When Battler turned around in surprise, he could now see that mystery girl there.

BEATO: My, my. How rude. Once you came, all you had to do was greet us.

ANGE: I don't make a habit of greeting people before punching them. But I'll say it after I punch.

BEATO: Hoh, and what is that?

ANGE: <Good night, have a nice dream>.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*, hahhahhahahahahahaha! I could laugh, I truly could laugh...!

Beato cackled and clapped her hands.

But that was only Beato, and nothing rose to Battler's face except a bitter smile.

BATTLER: ......Whew. You sure are a fighter.

ANGE: ........................

Battler and the girl's eyes met, and he said that as he shrugged his shoulders. But the girl didn't answer, giving only a cold stare in return.

BATTLER: ......You helped me out in the last moments of the previous game. I'm grateful.

ANGE: I don't need gratitude. You were just slacking off. I only told you to open your eyes.

BEATO: Kuhhyahhyahhya! That's so true, stop slacking off Battler, hyahhyahha!

Beato tried to laugh along with her, but it didn't reach the girl's ears.

She did absolutely nothing except stare at Battler with ice-cold eyes.

BATTLER: ............Well, it looks like someone hates me.

ANGE: I'm just annoyed that you aren't fighting seriously.

BATTLER: You say I'm not serious......?

ANGE: You can't possibly mean that your predicament earlier happened because you've been serious, can you? ......Don't be a fool. How long do you intend to go along with the witch's farce like this?

BATTLER: ...I'm fighting Beato in my own way. And seriously, of course.

ANGE: Seriously? .........Don't make me laugh. You keep on drinking tea and chatting with a witch for all eternity and call that fighting seriously? Keep the jokes to just your hairdo.

BATTLER: ......Well, that's because I wasn't used to this witch's game in the beginning, and I've been through a lot of harsh stuff. Still, I'm finally starting to see how to fight and the knack to doing it. ...If the pathetic way I've been acting makes it look like I haven't been serious to you, you're mistaken.

ANGE: .........Is that so?

BATTLER: Of course, I know I've gotta close in a lot more before I can grab Beato by the collar. But no matter how long that distance is, it is finite. And in each game that passes, I am steadily closing that distance step by step! No matter how long it takes, I will close in on that witch, and I'll definitely checkmate her. ......It might take one thousand years like she always says. ...But even so, eventually, I will certainly win. Why? Because I definitely won't accept losing. I definitely won't stop walking, and I'll keep closing in on her! So in other words, there's just one thing I can say for sure. ......I will definitely win against that witch someday! That's how it is.

ANGE: You sure talk a lot. Are you even trying to win? Even the finite can become endless if it's treated the wrong way. By now, you've become an Achilles who can't even outstrip a turtle. .........I get it. So this is why I'm needed. At this rate, there's no way you could win against the Endless Witch even after a billion years.

BATTLER: ......Who are you? It's not like you'll be struck by lightning if you just tell me your name.

ANGE: ........................

At that point, the girl fell silent, gazing straight into Battler's eyes.

At first, Battler faltered under the firmness of that look and his gaze wavered slightly, but then his eyes gradually began to be sucked into the pupils that were staring at him. [...]

BATTLER: ...I know it's stupid, ......but for some reason, I'm getting that feeling. But that can't be right. ......That person's supposed to still be six years old. ............You couldn't possibly be, ............Ange, could you............?

ANGE: ..................If I were to say 'that's right', ...would you believe me?

BATTLER: Nn............

ANGE: I'll say it differently. If I said 'I am your ally, so trust me', would you believe it? Would you unconditionally trust some unknown girl you're meeting for the first time just because she looks a little like someone you know? ......It's because you're such a softy that you were tricked so easily in the last game and cried so bitterly. ......You said it yourself. That kid is 6, right? Do I look like I'm 6? And despite that, if I were to claim that I am that kid, would you just swallow that story?

BATTLER: ......If you say it like that, ...there's no way I can argue back. ...Sorry. That's right, I am a softy. And that should have been made clear after the last game. ......Is this what you meant when you said I wasn't serious?

ANGE: Yes. You may think you're fighting with a witch, but you're just getting along with her and playing. ......You're just playing by fighting in a friendly game of chess. That may be a serious contest for you two, but looking at it from far away, I only see you playing around and following the rules like you're good friends.

BATTLER: ..................Ihihihi. That's harsh.

ANGE: But as long as you can't win this game, you won't be released from this place. ......That's why I came. I came to bring this game to its conclusion. ......You claim that you're closing in on the witch, but you're just like a hamster running around in a wheel.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*! Oh, that? That thing that runs around and around on a wheel night after night?

ANGE: At a glance, you might think that running around in a wheel is endless. ......The Endless Witch Beatrice. It's just like you. And although he thinks he's fighting, he's actually just running around in the wheel making a fool of himself. ......This isn't a game. This is nothing more than a cage to shut him up for all eternity.

BEATO: Hoh. ......You liken my Endless to something like a wheel that a rat plays in? Interesting, interesting, *cackle*...

ANGE: Something that's endless in one dimension can be less than endless in a higher one. The fact that a Menger sponge has infinite surface area only matters in a world of less than three dimensions. In the three-dimensional world of reality, it has zero mass. Not only is it not endless, it doesn't even exist.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*cackle*...! What an assertive woman. It seems you are worthy of being called my enemy.

BATTLER: ............Who...are you?

ANGE: I am your ally. And an enemy of witches. .........Of course, you don't have to believe it. No one can prove that I really am your ally. On the contrary, it is more desirable that you stay on your guard strongly enough to find me very suspicious.

BATTLER: .........That's right. Last time ended up pretty bad. I've got to be at least that careful. ...I don't intend to get tricked twice.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*......!

Beato laughed in a truly pleasant way which was humiliating only to Battler.

ANGE: People don't just get tricked out of the blue. They get lazy from their own certainty, and when they entrust things to other people, that's when they get tricked. ......Saying that you thought the light had turned green just because you saw other people start crossing doesn't count as an excuse for getting into an accident. Get it...?

BATTLER: Yeah..., I get it. ......You're telling me not to swallow information given to me by others, but to think for myself. .........I'd swallowed the magic that Beato showed me. I'd stopped thinking. So I was useless.

Battler grimaced as he remembered his many painful losses. ...The witch watched and laughed again, putting on a bold appearance.

ANGE: I will advise you in a way that will be to your advantage. Of course, you shouldn't swallow everything I say. Because no one can provide certain proof that I am your ally. [...] So you don't have to unconditionally trust me. Therefore, taking my advice as nothing more than an opinion to be considered is just fine. After all, ......the player who's fighting in a game against the witch is you.

BATTLER: ...That's right. Saying I lost because I followed the moves of an outsider would be just too pathetic of an excuse.

BEATO: Oh yes! My opponent is Battler. You are nothing more than an outsider. You should bear that in mind. *cackle*!

ANGE: No, I'm not an outsider. With Beatrice and Ushiromiya Battler, ...and I who gaze down from above, it's almost like a fight in the shape of a triangle. At a glance it might not be a united front, but just fighting together doesn't make a united front.

BEATO: Hoh. What an odd thing to say.

ANGE: Just now, he described fighting with you as closing the distance. But you can't measure distance with a single eye. Only with two eyes are things visible in three dimensions, and only then can distance be measured. ......And even if there are two fields of vision, it's pointless if they're in the same place. The one further away can accurately gauge the witch.

BATTLER: ......Shooting from different positions and different angles. ...So this is what they call crossfire. Heheh, interesting.

ANGE: Shooting...from different positions and different angles. ......So I won't get along with anybody. In order to separate my own position and catch the witch in a pincer attack.

BEATO: .........Is that alright, Battleer? This girl may actually be an ambush I set up, right? She might just be saying something plausible to gain your trust, right...?

BATTLER: ......Maybe. She's been saying that over and over again herself. ...So of course, I can't blindly accept her advice. But whether she's worthy of trust or not, I can think for myself and decide. As long as I don't stop thinking for myself, I won't be tricked by anyone again...!

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*cackle*!! What confidence, Ushiromiya Battleer! After you've said so much, it makes me want to trick you all over again, you see...? And I want to see what kind of face you'll make when you realize that you've been tricked again! I like it, kuhhahahahahahahaha!!

BATTLER: ............It looks like you know my name, but I don't know yours. ...Tell me your name.

ANGE: ........................

For a while, the girl remained silent without changing her expression even once.

...She looked as though she couldn't decide whether to say her name or not, or possibly, as though she was deciding the name she would say on the spot.

ANGE: ......Gretel.

BATTLER: Ghetto? You are?

ANGE: That's my name, dumbass. Call me Gretel.

BATTLER: Then should I call myself Hansel? Ihihihi, just kidding, I'm Ushiromiya Battler! Call me Battler.

ANGE: .........Nice to meet you. ...I hate handshakes. Don't take it personally.

BATTLER: ...Ah, really? Sorry. After all, it isn't certain that you're my ally. ......And you just told me to keep my guard up too.

Battler drew back his right hand, which he had stuck out. His bitter smile disappeared, and was replaced with a strong resolution for the new fourth game.

ANGE: Battler. ......Think deeply about why you must win against this witch. ......You can't stop with something abstract, like 'I'll get her because I don't like it'. ......Have a deep conviction that you'll definitely defeat the witch and escape from this world. .........Because there is definitely, .........someone waiting for you to come back. ......For that kid's sake as well, ........................

Maybe she was thinking about something. Gretel clenched her fists in front of her chest and hung her head in silence, at a loss for words for a short while. As though smashing through that silence, Beato spoke up in a forceful voice.

BEATO: Good, that should be enough of an introduction for Gretel or whoever! Come, try to remember, what happened on October 4! Kuhhihihihihihihi, the curtain opens on the fourth game!!

At the same time, as though it had been blown by a sudden gust of wind, the clock which had been turned back to October 4, 1986, ......started to move. While we remained in the witch's tea room, the blue-grey sea and the green Rokkenjima spread out beneath us, ......and we could see a boat heading there, its wake trailing behind it.

Memory 37: copper bracelet (3/4 left): SigNeu: "Give it up...!! There is no magic to revive Sakutarou...!"; revenge against Rosa
BEATO: MARIA......, ......MARIA............Do not cry......

MARIA: Beatrice, Beatrice...!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!

BEATO: Sakutaro was a good friend... As long as you do not forget that, he will always be with you... So do not cry...

MARIA: Bring him back to life!! You can use a lot of magic, Beato!! You can even bring Sakutaro back to life, right?!

BEATO: ............A, about that.........Of course, if Sakutaro had been my furniture, it would be easy. However, Sakutaro is your furniture. ......That makes it difficult for me.

MARIA: If you say it's difficult, that means it isn't impossible, right?! Bring him back to life!! Bring him back to life with the Endless Magiiiiiic!

BEATO: .........Hmm.........To tell the truth... Sakutarou's vessel was a stuffed animal Rosa made herself, correct...? That Rosa has denied Sakutarou. ......A life that is not permitted by its own mother cannot exist...

Beatrice's words were feeble.

...Because she knew that, no matter what the excuse, it wouldn't be enough to calm Maria and make her accept it.
But she had to communicate the painful truth to her disciple and close friend.

.........She had to tell her the fact, ......that even with all of her own power, even she could not revive Sakutarou.

BEATO: As long as you continue to strongly believe in Sakutarou's existence, that soul will not disappear...... So, MARIA..., please, do not be sad... Even now, look, ...I believe that Sakutarou is smiling right over there......

MARIA: No!!! No no no!! You have to bring Sakutaro back to life!! No no no! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!

BEATO: Give it up...!! There is no magic to revive Sakutarou...! And despite that, you must strongly believe that Sakutarou will continue to exist as your close friend...!! That power will become magic...!

MARIA: That's not magic, that's not magic!! You have to bring Sakutaro back to life...!! Can't do it because Mama made him herself? Why did Mama make Sakutaro? It was to give him to Maria as a present, right? It was to make him Maria's friend, right? But why...did Mama make it herself...and break it herself? Why did Mama give birth to it by herself, and try to break it herself? Don't get it, don't get it!! Hate Mama, hate Mama...!! Frustrated frustrated sad sad...!! Want to smash Mama up like she did to Sakutaro...! Want to stick my fingernails in and tear her, turn her into cloth and cotton!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Can't stand it, I can't stand it, Beatriiice!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, Sakutaroooooooo!!!!

From the darkness behind Maria's back, two massive jet-black arms crept out, twisting around Maria as she sobbed in anger.

Then massive fingernails stuck into Maria's chest and stomach...... Maria could not see that. ......But Beato could see it. Anger and sadness without any place to go will tear you apart.

......Beato knew that. She could see that. Yes. ......In the end, those massive arms were Maria's own.

Those fingernails slowly started to eat into her chest and stomach......

......With their immense size and strength, those arms could probably tear Maria into bits easily...... But Maria herself couldn't notice.

Drowning in a sea of her own tears, ......she couldn't notice that her own arms were trying to tear apart her own chest......

MARIA: Can't stand it, can't stand it...!!! If Sakutaro can't be brought back to life no matter what, ......Maria wants revenge!! Wants to make Mama meet the same end!! Wants her to meet the same end as Sakutaro...! Beatrice!! Teach Maria magic for that!! Teach me magic to finish Mama...!!

BEATO: ..............................Is that your true intention?

MARIA: Kill Mama!! I'll kill her!! No, that isn't Mama! It's the bad witch possessing Mama! I'll kill the witch Mama!! Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!

BEATO: ........................Very well. I shall give you that power. ......For tearing you and your beautiful heart apart......for giving you that pain, it is fitting that your heartless mother be torn apart considerably. ............I shall teach it to you. ......I shall teach you of the depths of the magic world's abyss, where no light reaches......

MARIA: Uuuuuuuu, Sakutaro, Sakutaro...!! Hate, hate, haaaate everyone!! Hate Mama too, hate Ange too!! Hate everyone, everyooone!! Uuuuuuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh......!!

[...]

......I [Rosa] looked at my hand. ......From my wrists onwards, my hands broke off, splintered, ......and disappeared.

As though only that part of my arms had become ceramic. ......No, as though all of me from the wrists onwards had suddenly become ceramic, and had broken and fallen. They had gotten covered with cracks because I had hit Maria too much, and had fallen off. ......After all, look, ...aren't both of my wrists lying smashed by my feet......?

ROSA: Ee.........? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkk...!!! [...] Wh, what's this?! What's this?! My hands, ......hands, hands...!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkk!!!

MARIA: ...........................This way, ......you won't be able to hit Maria anymore.

Ignoring my confusion, ......Maria spoke that with a very cold voice, ......slowly moving her hands away from her head, where they had been defending against my barrage......

ROSA: ......What is this?! My hands, my hands...!! What did you do, Maria, what is this, what's this what's this...?!

Behind Maria's back, a black silhouette had appeared. ......It was the silhouette of an adult. [...]

BEATO: .........Since an arm could pat her daughter's head, flip through a picture book, and make warm meals, ......I thought it might be alright to leave it.

MARIA: Mama hit Maria's head more than she patted it. ......She doesn't turn the pages of a picture book. She doesn't even make food. ......Maria goes to buy it herself. ......But Maria must not go to the same store multiple times, must not have her face remembered, must not talk to the policeman............Why? Why's that? Did Maria do something wrong? Is Maria not supposed to have Mama pat her head, have picture books read to her, eat dinner together with Mama...? Why? Why?! Maria didn't do anything wrong!! Not Maria's fault, Mama's!! Mama's fault!! Mama won't play with Maria, but Sakutaro did! He even read books, watched TV and ate meals with Maria!! He was a much, much more important friend than Mama was!!!

ROSA: ...I, ......I'm not proud of it...! B, but what am I supposed to do?! Mama's busy with work, work!! You know that Mama's busy with work, right?! What am I supposed to do?!! There's nothing I can do!!

BEATO: That is true. There is nothing to be done. Nothing to be done about injuring your daughter, tearing her heart apart, and making her tears run with blood...! Then there's nothing to be done about the same thing happening again, right here, right now...!! Come, MARIA...! That is enough for the excuses of the woman who calls herself a mother. Can you forgive her, or not...?! Is she innocent, or else guilty?!?!

MARIA: Won't forgive her!! Mama is guilty!! I'll make Mama meet the same fate she gave to Sakutaro...!! Take Mama, ......from the seam at the neck, ......and tear her apart, exposing the cotton within!!

......Maria's eyes ominously flashed blue.

In that instant, invisible, massive arms stuck their fingernails out and tightly grasped Rosa's entire body. As the bones all over her body made a sound like twigs being stepped on, they cracked readily and broke. [...]

......The sharp nails stuck strongly into the base of my neck, ......and I heard the skin tearing with my own ears. Then, as the two witches watched over her, Rosa's flesh was split in two, top and bottom.

[...] something like black, thick tar came out, filthily flying all over the place. There wasn't even a trace of the red of blood. ......It was something black, filthy and thick.

It was probably what a bloodless, tearless human kept inside their body instead.

BEATO: This is incredible. Hideous! What filthy insides...! That was splendid, MARIA. Well then, is this enough for your revenge? Can you forgive your mother, or not? Innocent, or guilty...?!!

MARIA: Can't forgive!! Still can't forgive, guilty...!!!

When Beatrice brandished her pipe cane, gold butterflies seeped up and restored Rosa's broken flesh in an instant...

ROSA: .........Ack, ......gwah! *cough*cough*......!

BEATO: Feel your great sin, which cannot be paid for by a single human life. And remember your own deep sin...! Come, try and remember...!! Remember how great a sin you committed...!!

.........Hello. ......Is it Mama? ......When will you come home?

"I'm sorry. I'm busy with work today, so I'm staying over."

......Staying over for work again.........? ......Looks like work is tough for you again today, Mama...

"Yeah, sorry. I really am busy. I'll be holed up in the company the whole time. I can't even get a breath of outside air. Mama can't just finish her job quickly. Unless I give them a better design, I won't be given another job...that's how tough this job is. So it'll just have to take some time."

...Yeah. Understand. .........Maria will be a good girl and watch over the house, so do your best at work, finish it quickly, and come back, okay......?

"Thank you for understanding about Mama's work...... I promise that I'll buy a delicious cake tomorrow and take it home."

Don't need cake. ......Instead of taking time to go to the cake store, Maria would be happier if Mama came home that much sooner.

"Don't worry. I'll come back quickly, I promise. So let's eat the delicious cake together. Let's drink delicious tea together. Let's read a new picture book together. Let's play with that Wolves and Sheep Puzzle I bought recently. Both of us together. ......I promise."

.........Yeah, promise. Maria will be waiting. ............Do your best at work, Mama......

BEATO: Hohoh. It's a lonely story, but isn't this good mother-daughter love, with both looking out for the other? Do you see any problem with it, Maria? Rosa?

ROSA: ..............................Th, that promise, ......I believe I kept it. The next evening, didn't I do as I promised and buy a cake, returning earlier than usual?

MARIA: That's not it, Maria knew...............That evening. A pay-on-delivery package came for Mama, but there wasn't enough money in the wallet, so Maria called Mama's company to ask what should be done. ......Maria had been told only to call at special times, ......but thought it would be bad if the package was something important for Mama's work... So Maria called.

ROSA: .........................

MARIA: .........Then, Maria was told that Mama had the day off. ...Maria was told that it had been decided long ago that Mama would have the day off, .........and that she had gone far away to play. ............Maria knew. The whole, whole time, .........Maria knew that Mama was lying...!

[...]

ROSA: Gwah!! *cough*, ......*cough*............That's right...... You were, ......always in the way......

MARIA: ........................nn.

ROSA: ......If only you weren't there, ......I would have been able to grasp my happiness as a woman long ago...... Because you exist, ......you were always in the way of my happiness......

MARIA: ............Ma...ma.........

ROSA: .........Even I didn't want you to be born... No, that's not it. ......I thought I might be able to build a happy family together with you.........But that guy disappeared right before you were born. He said he'd build a warm family with me...he tricked me...and disappeared from my sight for all eternity...!! Only you were left. No love or memories or anything remained!! Where did that man go? He probably just turned my days with him into a warm memory, and met with a new love. And this time, he might have been able to create a happy family...!! And me?! I have you!! I can't even look for a new love!! Men can go between women as they like and brag about it! But for a woman, for me!! I have you!! I had you as a stone weight, and because of you I can't search for romance, I can't get love, and I can only live alone!! No, I wasn't even allowed that, I wasn't even allowed a night to drink myself drunk all alone!! Who are you?! Who?! You made my life a waste, and won't even let me have a new life...just who are you to my life?! Die, disappear, I've hated you since the time you were born!! I've hated you since the time you were in my womb!!! I've been doing my best to act like a good mother so that I'd be accepted by the outside world. Yes, I've done my best!! As I watched other women of my generation praise being single, sometimes playing with passion or even being joined with someone in love, I was stuck being both a mother and a woman...!! Who ever showed appreciation for my efforts?! No one admired me, no one praised me!! I got what I deserved? Secondhand goods? Divorcees should die? You don't want anyone who's not a virgin?! I'm the one who doesn't want anything to do with you, you damn inexperienced virgin brats!!! I was so desperate, I probably looked like a easy woman to you...yes, I was desperate!! You probably couldn't imagine how desperate a woman like me, who's still at the age where she wants to know love, was...when I realized that my time was being filled with work and caring for my child so that I would probably grow old and end my life still like this!! Of course I hate your real father too! But we both share the blame for bringing about that catastrophe. I myself might have been persistent enough to make him run away! But the catastrophes after that were all your fault! When did I ever scold you for that?! Never, riiiiiiiight?! The day after one man left me, when I wanted to drink myself dead drunk, was Parent's Day at your school!! When I tried to hide my tear-stained eyes with heavy makeup, the way I felt when you said something off the mark and the whole class laughed at you, is something that not only you, but probably everyone in the world couldn't understand!! I hate you, loathe you...!!! And until now, I've never really loved you even once!!! Whhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!

Maria's face was still stiff...... [...]

MARIA: ............Ma.........ma..............., .....uuuwau......, uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!

BEATO: Ugly. Aaaaaaaahh, how ugly is a woman drowning in lust...!! This is this woman's true nature!! Even I, as a witch who has explored the depths of evil, find this most difficult to watch!! Aaah, MARIA, now is the time to part from her!! Smash the ugly lump of meat that calls herself your mother...!! It would be pointless for your pure soul to be bound by the chains between mother and daughter any longer! With your own hand! Release your own soul now!! You have now gained the tooth and claw to protect yourself!!

MARIA: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!! Now you'll learn the pain Maria had to go through...! Now I'll take revenge for those painful days...!!!

ROSA: Ahhahahahahahahahaha!! Aren't you the one that's been hurting me?! I'm the one who wants revenge...!! I should have done that before you were born!! If only you hadn't been born!! Disappeeeeeeeeeeeaaaar, woooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!! ......Gagyah.

As Rosa howled, in a way that can only be described by the word *splat*, her upper body was crushed, and in an instant, was turned into something similar to a wrung, bloodstained towel.

MARIA: Be crushed. Can't forgive, ......can't forgive...!!

BEATO: Kuhhahhahha......!! You filth. That form suits you...!

......Even though Rosa's waist and below was standing normally, just the upper half of her body was pinched, and that extreme difference was bizarre.

Then she fell over, but the instant she fell, her body was restored.

ROSA: *cough*cough*! *cough*!! .........Die, you. ......Kuhhihihhihhihhi......!

BEATO: Come, Maria. Is this the limit of your anger and sadness? Now is the time for revenge! Time for the settlement of anger and sadness...!! Hit her, spit it out!! Push out all of the wedges driven into your chest, and fling them back!!!

MARIA: Uugaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhoooooooooooooohhhh!!!

Maria's howl was adorned with the ugly sound of flesh and bone being crushed at the same time...

As Rosa, who had foully insulted Maria, lay spread-eagled, a neat, perfect circle was cut out of her chest and crushed, as though her chest had been trampled by an invisible elephant. Her heart and her lungs and her ribs were trampled so mercilessly that they were completely indistinguishable.

......That might have symbolized the pain in Maria's heart up until today.

BEATO: So, Maria. Are you satisfied with this? Can you forgive your mother's sin? Or not? Innocent? Or guilty?!

MARIA: Can't forgive!! Still can't forgive!! Mama is guilty, guilty guilty guilty, can't forgive!!!

BEATO: Certainly, how could your days of bitterness be equal to this level of punishment?!! Know it, Rosa! Come, try to remember, what form did you have?! Revive in order to be killed!! Be killed so that your sins can be purified, over and over!!!

When Beato waved her cane, the body was restored again, and Rosa sat up, coughing violently in apparent pain...

And once again, she spat out curses rejecting Maria.

MARIA: .........You aren't Mama. You're a witch, a witch tormenting me and Mama!! I won't forgive you just because you look like Mama! Won't forgive you!!

ROSA: ......Aren't you the witch......? You're always reading creepy books and playing witches...!! You're the one that should disappeeeeeeeeeeeear!! Because of you, even I'm treated like a weirdo! Because of you, because of yooooooooooooouuuuuuu!!! If only you hadn't been born!! Don't be born...!! I hated you since before you were booooooooooooooooorn!!!

MARIA: Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh...!!!

.........Maria screamed.

Was she unable to bear her anger and sadness? Or else, was she taken over by an indescribable emotion......?

It was surely...a cry of hopelessness.

[...]

Maria turned Rosa into a lump of meat over and over.

Over and over, in the dark world that reflected her heart, the ugly sound of flesh and bone being torn apart, which would make one want to cover their ears, rang out...... Each time, Beatrice revived Rosa.

She dragged her back into the world of endless torture, which could not be escaped from even by death.

This was the true deepest hell that the Endless Witch Beatrice could create. However, this world was not made endless by Beatrice's will. ......Because every time Rosa turned into a lump of meat, she asked the same question to Maria.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*! Are you satisfied, MARIA?! Can you forgive your mother with your anger?!

MARIA: How could I forgive her, how could I forgive her!! Won't forgive, won't forgive!! Teach you all of Maria's pain...!! Teach you much, much more...!! Still not enough, not close to enough...!! Since I was born, since before I was born...!! I just can't erase the anger and sadness that have been scorned since then......!!

ROSA: .........Fuhi, hahaha............I hate you, haaate you... Fuhihiha, haha......

MARIA: Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

Revive over and over again. Return to a meat lump over and over again. In various ways, she crushed, smashed, beat, tore to bits. Flying blood spatter and flesh turned the once pitch-black world into a world with mixed red and black. Maria's anger still hadn't calmed down.

It was as though she was spitting out all of the suppressed rage from the time of her birth until today.

[...]

This endless torture...might have become a slight diversion from her sad, unrewarded life.

After all, ......it seemed that she had finally been able to regain her smile.

MARIA: Learn it!! You, the source of Maria's unhappiness!! Learn it!! Learn that my pain is greater than this!! Kihhihihahhahahaha!! What's wrong? Why'd you stop laughing?! Try and laaaaaaauuugh!!

ROSA: ......Fuhi, fuhihihi...... Gyack...!!!

Half of her skull collapsed. Eyeballs flew out, and black cranial fluid gushed. Fragments of teeth scattered.

MARIA: Come on, revive...!! Try and laugh...!! Come on, come oooooon!!!

ROSA: .........Ihi, ......ihi. ......Gyaggh!!

Her whole chest along with her ribs turned inside out, exposing her filthy innards. All of them writhed, looking like an impure creature.

MARIA: Come on come on come on!! Revive!! Can you still laugh? Can you still laugh?! Kihhihihihihi?!

ROSA: .....................

Rosa couldn't let out a laughing voice anymore. ......But her face was laughing. It was filled with a twisted laugh, which was covered with a malice that rejected her unwanted daughter. [...]

MARIA: Laugh, try and laugh, Mama...!! Kihhihihihihhahahahahahahahaha?! What's wrong, Mama, let's wake up, read a picture book, and go take a walk...!! Let's say we love each other, make a promise for next Sunday, let's go shopping, let's go to the movies...!! And of course you'll break that promise!! Kihhihihihihihihihihihihihihi, isn't it fun, Mama? Isn't it fun, Mama? Maria is playing with Mama now, right?!! Kihhihhahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

BEATO: That's right, you are now playing with your mother, having fun with her...!! Tell me your emotions now! I believe they are not of anger or sadness or pain...!

MARIA: Yeah, that's right, I get it, Beatrice...!! I'm having a lot of fun now..., I'm playing with Mama, so it's tons of fun!! And even though I'm killing Mama over and over again, she can be revived with just a single bit of magic!! I took care of my toys because I couldn't fix them if they broke...!! But if the toy could be fixed, I'd want to break it over and over again!! Kihhihihihihihihihihihihi!! Hihihihihihi, hihi......... But, ............Sakutaro won't be fixed. ...He can't be fixed......... .........Because Mama, who made him, ......Mama, who gave birth to him, ......won't acknowledge him.

BEATO: .....................

MARIA: I wasn't acknowledged by Mama either, was I.........So the broken Maria won't be fixed either. ..............................Kihihihi. Kihhihihihihihihihihihihi!! Kyahhahahahahyahhyahhyahhyah!! Aaaaaaaaaaahhh, it's fun, it's fun, Mama...!! Since it's gotten so fun, I somehow get the feeling that I could forgive Mama...! Hey, Beato, this is a ve-ry strange emotion...! Why? Why has Maria started to feel as though she could forgive Mama?!

BEATO: That is the enlightened state that is only reached by witches who have gained the power to control life and death at will. ......You can kill at any time. You can revive her if needed. If that's a pain, then it's alright to kill her again...! Once you've learned that you can do this at any time by simply snapping your fingers, all nonsense spoken in the world of humans becomes a chirping of insects that isn't worth listening to...! You did not begin to think about forgiving your mother because your eyes were opened to your mother's love. It was because now, you stand at the entrance to the world of true witches...!! Welcome, Maria, to the profound and sweet world of witches!!

MARIA: I've done it...!! Maria is no longer Maria...!! Still an apprentice, maybe, but I've surpassed the human world...! I am now, the apprentice Witch of Origins, MARIA......!!! There's nothing to frustrate me, nothing to make me sad! Mama, I'll forgive you. I'm sure I can forgive you! I think I'll be able to forgive you after doing just a bit more!! After all, I am a witch!! Ki, ......hihhihihhihhihhihhihhihhi! Kihhihihih!!!

Maria probably would forgive her mother eventually.

......After brutally murdering her countless times. Graciously.

Memory 38: fruit tart (taken): SigNeg: logic error
ERIKA: Fi-nally, I can investigate to my heart's content...! But first! Ushiromiya Battler!!

BATTLER: Don't use my full name.

ERIKA: Allow me to confirm the location of all characters present. Repeat it!

BATTLER: Of course, I am not obligated to respond, remember...?

ERIKA: If you don't, I'll just say that someone sneaked out while I wasn't looking, and that this person was responsible for the bizarre crimes that are sure to follow. If you want to show me an impossible murder, you should first confirm their locations...!

BATTLER: ......Sure, why not. I'll listen, at least. Let me hear it.

ERIKA: From now on, let's refer to the room next to the cousins' room as 'the next room over'. Does that work for you?!

BATTLER: That's easy to remember. Got it. ......And?

ERIKA: When I check the characters' locations as I am about to, I am not concerned with whether they are alive or dead. Think of it as the location of their body. And of course, I'm referring to the current point in time. Here we go. 'The six first twilight victims are located at the places where they were discovered. Natsuhi is in her room, Eva is in the VIP room, Kyrie is in Krauss's study, Rosa and Maria are in the parlor, and you are in the guest room!'

BATTLER: ............

ERIKA: Don't tell me you're already going to refuse?!

BATTLER: .......Don't worry. I acknowledge it.

First off, it was acknowledged that the victims' locations were the same as the rooms that had been shown by the witch side's illusion.

ERIKA: <Good>. I'll continue. 'Hideyoshi, George, Shannon, Kumasawa, and Nanjo are in the next room over!'

BATTLER: Acknowledged.

Just now, the humans who were in the room Erika had just left had been specified.

It was the role of the human side to check every one of these little details.

ERIKA: <Good>. I'll continue. 'Everyone else is in the cousins' room!'

The word 'everyone' drew a slight reaction from Battler. [...]

BATTLER: ......I refuse. Acknowledging that would mean that Kinzo's corpse would also have to be in the cousins' room.

ERIKA: Ah, pardon me. It has already been shown that Kinzo no longer exists, so please remove him from the word 'everyone'.

BATTLER: .........Why are you using the word 'everyone' for the cousins' room alone...? Why are you so vague......when you could just mention the names of Krauss and the other five individually?

ERIKA: It'd just be too much of a pain to read out all of their names. ......Or is there something wrong? Does using the word 'everyone' create a problem with some trick of yours...?

BATTLER: ..................

[...]

ERIKA: Excluding Kinzo and me, there are 17 people on this island. Six were killed and are lying in the mansion, and five are in the next room over. And, the remaining six are in the cousins' room. I don't think my reasoning is mistaken here. .........However, since there are 17 people on the island, if we subtract six, then five, then six again, we're left with zero humans whose location has not been checked...but that sort of idea would be extremely dangerous. I'm pretty sure that this sort of trick involving names and numbers of people caused you a lot of trouble with Nanjo's murder in the third game.

BATTLER: .........Good point. ......That trick worked because the 18 names given didn't match up with the 18 people who actually existed, leaving room to add in an unknown person.

ERIKA: Exactly. And so, I can't feel secure just by checking their location by name. ......That's why I used the word 'everyone'. That word can prevent you from using a new trick that I haven't even thought of.

BATTLER: ............I see. ......Pretty crafty of you...

If Battler was planning a new trick where the names and number of people would be used to create false alibis, like the murder of Nanjo in the third game... Even naming off all 17 people and checking their positions left a trace of uncertainty behind.

And if he skillfully managed to slip somebody past the names and numbers of people...

ERIKA: For example, let's say that an unknown assassin X is hiding on this island. ......Let's call him Purupurupiko-Man.

BATTLER: ......I see, Even if you list everyone's names and check their locations, this Purupurupiko-Man guy would fall outside the net.

ERIKA: Precisely. Even hearing 'there are only 17 people on this island, and here are the locations of 17 people' is insufficient. There's already a precedent for this.

BEATO: .........However, the word 'everyone' is just too broad. Can't you word it a little better...?

BATTLER: ......No, ......if we run away from the word 'everyone' here, there's a chance that Erika will be able to use that as a basis for making Purupurupiko-Man the culprit for everything. ......In my old fights with you, I also nailed several riddles with no basis other than the unknown person X.

ERIKA: The word 'everyone' is significant. ......Make sure you think ve~ry carefully first.

Erika wore a full but evil smile, confident that she had made a powerful move. ......Players on the witch side must eradicate all possibilities that would be possible for humans.

[...]

BEATO: ......Deflection, right?

BATTLER: You mean the chess term?

BEATO: Yes. ......It's a technique of putting pressure on an enemy piece, forcing it to move and making them weaken their own position.

ERIKA: ......I'm threatening you with the broad and powerful piece called 'everyone', pressuring you to move. ......With this, Battler-san will be able to perfectly guarantee the alibis for all of the survivors, and it'll probably make it possible for him to trap me in the later impossible crimes. ......What are you afraid of? Shouldn't this be a powerful move for you?

BATTLER: But it's a move that you're pressuring me to make. ......You're trying to make me weaken my own position in some way.

BEATO: No matter how good a move seems, it is a bad move when it is what the opponent wants... ......However, it will be hard to avoid the word 'everyone' here......

[...]

BATTLER: So, ......the red truth is a trump card. ......Now I'm painfully aware of how Beato felt.

It can kill with ease, ...but it's not something to be used unnecessarily. Using it carelessly can corner the witch side instead......

ERIKA: ......What will you do? We can put this on hold if you want?

BATTLER: No, ...........................Okay, I acknowledge it. I acknowledge that everyone else is in the cousins' room.

ERIKA: <Good>! Thank you very much, Battler-san. Beautifully done. ......Oh, I'm in trouble. If a letter from a witch comes in this situation, just who could I suspect?

She said she was in trouble, but her face didn't look troubled at all.

......On the contrary, she looked as though she had just succeeded in placing a huge opening move. In the witch's game, even a single mistaken move is fatal...... In both chess and Shogi, you can't take back a move once you've made it.

......That last exchange had left a bad aftertaste, as though flesh had been torn and bones broken......

BATTLER: That should be enough of confirming everyone's position. ......Shall we continue the game?

ERIKA: Yes, we shall. Dlanooooooooooor!!

DLANOR: Yes, Lady Erika.

ERIKA: Let's get started right away. Let's use the privilege our merciful Game Master has given us...!

DLANOR: Yes, UNDERSTOOD. ......Gertrude, Cornelia. Use two rooms' worth of the three sets of seals we were given...!

GERTRUDE: Let it be known that-

CORNELIA: We understand...!

ERIKA: Seal the cousins' room and the next room over. This means that everyone other than the victims has been sealed. No matter what happens after this, the humans within the seals won't be a problem!

DLANOR: By the seals on the doors and windows, the complete sealing of both the cousins' room and the next room over has been GUARANTEED.

For just an instant, a red longsword had returned to Dlanor's hand.

She had been given permission to draw it, thanks to red truth that she had finally gained. ......When the fight concerned these two sealed rooms from now on, Dlanor would be able to use that merciless blade, the 'red key'...

This overwhelming power could slice even the Game Master in half. For a while, Erika and Dlanor grinned at each other, entranced by the ruthless red light that was burned into their eyes...

[...]

BEATO: A disturbing move... What on Earth is Erika planning...

BATTLER: ......It isn't necessarily an attack. In chess and Shogi, strengthening the guard around your king is a valid strategy.

BEATO: In other words, the seals around those two rooms aren't an attack...but a guard...?

BATTLER: That seems likely. Thanks to that, it's hard to lay a hand on the survivors. It'll be tough to carry out the second twilight.

BEATO: ......Ah, ...I see. The witch side has an advantage when more riddles are presented......

BATTLER: Yeah. After all, if even one riddle goes unsolved, the witch wins. Each new closed room we present increases our advantage.

The riddles that the witch side sets up are equivalent to attacks. The human side must perfectly intercept all of those.

......It's almost like a penalty kick face-off, where letting a single point slip by means defeat. So, the witch side wants to increase its number of attacks.

[...]

BEATO: I see, so strengthening your guard to make it hard for a crime to occur is one way for the human side to fight...

BATTLER: .........However, that's a simple move. ......That 'great detective' Furudo Erika wouldn't have looked so confident after playing a move like that. [...] I'm sure......that this is an attack, not a move made for defense. ......Though I don't know what kind of attack it is.

BEATO: Next is our move......What shall we do?

BATTLER: .........For the moment, she has, at least apparently, spent her turn on strengthening her guard to stop the second twilight, instead of reasoning about the first twilight. ...If they push, pull back; if they pull back, push. In that case, it's time for us to attack.

BEATO: But how should we attack...? The guesthouse is well guarded.

BATTLER: Yes, it appears as though the area around the guesthouse is now under Erika's control. ......However, there are certain pieces, like bishops and knights, whose specialty is cutting behind enemy lines.

Battler snapped his fingers, ......and a single gold butterfly appeared from the darkness, ......then flew in front of the chessboard, trailing gold sparks behind it. It landed without a sound, ......then transformed into a black piece representing the witch's darkness.

BATTLER: X-ray. ......That's also a chess term.

BEATO: Yes, it's a high level technique. ......It's when a square seems to be under an enemy's control, but you've actually spotted that your own pieces have enough influence, so you attack.

BATTLER: ......Erika. If you really believe that you can stop my next attack just by sealing up all the survivors......that's a naive idea.

Battler raised his new black piece high.

......His target was a single open space deep behind enemy lines.

BATTLER: How will you handle it...? This is my......response.

~*~*~*~*~

ERIKA: Haah. Now I can finally stretch my wings. First off, let's take a midnight stroll to the mansion.

DLANOR: You would take a stroll in the middle of the night to an eerie mansion where a killer might be HIDING? ......You must be very INSANE.

ERIKA: I am not. It took so long to get this time to myself, didn't it? I feel like it's free time after a swimming lesson. [...] Alright. ......The locks on the first floor of the guesthouse are perfect. The entrance is sealed up with a chain lock.

Before leaving the guesthouse, Erika did a check of the first floor, making sure that nothing was out of place.

Then she found a flashlight and umbrella in the servant room next to the entrance.

DLANOR: Then let us GO.

ERIKA: Yeah. We at least have to check the cause of death for all six.

She unset the chain, unlocked the door, and opened it.

The freezing outside air poured in......

DLANOR: ......It appears to be quite windy STILL.

ERIKA: Well, this body is just a cage of flesh to me. I don't care if it gets wet or cold. ......Let's go.

When Erika dropped her gaze to open her umbrella, ......she noticed something lying at her feet.

ERIKA: ............!

DLANOR: It's.........one of the usual LETTERS.

It was one of those letters sent by the witch......with the seal of the One-Winged Eagle on it. It had been wedged under the outside mat in front of the entrance......as though someone had predicted that Erika would eventually leave for the mansion by this way.

It was in the shadows of the large eaves, so it had avoided the rain entirely.

ERIKA: ......So, it's here already. ......Almost as though it was waiting for me.

She bent over and picked it up. ......She then tore it open recklessly and pulled the letter inside out of it.

A message had been written in neat letters...

ERIKA: Welcome, Furudo Erika-sama......it says. ......Oh, so it's calling me by name? They totally saw this coming.

DLANOR: What does it SAY......?

ERIKA: It's an advance notice for a crime. No, I should say it's a report after the fact. ......Apparently, they have taken Ushiromiya Battler's corpse. It says something like 'please try looking for it'.

DLANOR: ......So this isn't the 'tear apart the two who are close' of the second TWILIGHT?

ERIKA: Well, disappearing corpses happened a few times in Beato's games too. There's nothing really new about this.

Erika shrugged and scorned the letter. However, ......this letter was a real attack. All of the survivors were sealed in the rooms on the second floor.

And, after Krauss and the others had gone around checking doors and windows, Erika had personally made sure that there was nothing at this spot. So, it was an attack saying 'someone who shouldn't be here placed the letter', and that the someone was a witch.

......That was also an attack that the old Beato had often used.

ERIKA: Haah, sheesh. If the way you show it is the same, please tell me that the actual trick isn't the same too. ......Dlanor. Please call Battler here.

DLANOR: UNDERSTOOD. ......Lord BATTLER, we wish to take our turn...!

~*~*~*~*~

BATTLER: Got it. Let's have it.

ERIKA: My apologies. Actually, I don't have a new move to announce.

BATTLER: .........?

ERIKA: Actually, ......sorry. There's something I need to apologize for.

Apologize......?

Battler and Beato's eyes went wide. However, though Erika said that she wanted to apologize, she had a confident look on her face, as though even that apology would be a new move.

......So, Battler glared at her dubiously, without letting his guard down.

ERIKA: It's about those retroactive seals. ......Actually, I had already sealed one place. I apologize for taking so long to report this to you.

BATTLER: ......You already sealed something? In other words, you've already used up all three rooms' worth?

ERIKA: Yes. I promised that I'd report on it right away, but I completely forgot until just now. You have my sincere apologies.

BATTLER: You don't look like someone who's sincerely apologizing... ...Well, that's fine. I'm the one who gave you that privilege. ......So? Where did you seal?

ERIKA: Dlanor.

DLANOR: Allow me to REPORT. ......Battler's guest room was sealed at the time of Lady Erika's inspection of the CORPSE.

BEATO: ............!

Beato tried not to let it show on her face, but her eyebrows twitched visibly and her gaze flicked over to Battler.

ERIKA: Normally, I would have liked to seal all of the closed rooms, but I didn't have enough duct tape. ......Out of respect for the Game Master, I sealed only the room with Battler-san's corpse.

BATTLER: ......So you were kind enough to close the lid on my coffin.

ERIKA: I remembered a short while ago and was planning to tell you when we reached the mansion and investigated the guest room with your corpse in it. ......However, when this letter appeared, I figured I should report it right away.

BEATO: Wh, why did you think that...?

ERIKA: Well, ......after all, Battler-san has been playing this game not knowing that his corpse was sealed in the guest room. ......Because of that, ......I thought, possibly......that it might change things regarding the appearance of this letter.

DLANOR: .........The cousins' room and the next room over are currently SEALED. Sorry for the late report, but the guest room with your corpse in it is also SEALED. And, there are 17 people on the island excluding Lady Erika. The existence of an 18th person has already been denied in a previous GAME.

ERIKA: In that case, ......the person who could have placed the letter......and erased your corpse.........I thought, maybe......heheheheheheheheheh... I thought maybe things might be different......

Erika laughed crudely while staring into Battler's eyes to see if he was panicked or disturbed...

BEATO: ............Battler-san......

BATTLER: ..................Stay calm. Erika has just made her report a bit late. There's nothing to be nervous about.

[...]

ERIKA: This still isn't quite a logic error. And though we sealed the room retroactively, we are at fault for the lateness in reporting it. So, I have no problem with letting Battler-san retroactively rewrite the plot concerning this letter.

BEATO: ......Retroactively rewrite the plot...?

BATTLER: Hmph, I see. ......If 'I' placed the letter there, then that would be impossible as soon as 'I' was sealed in that closed room. In which case, this letter shouldn't have appeared here.

ERIKA: Correct. So, I thought you should have the chance to revise this small inconsistency.

DLANOR: ......We have discovered this letter HERE. ......We are saying that we do not mind if you want to undo that, or if you want to use a revised SCENARIO.

ERIKA: Just by the existence of the letter and duct tape, ......this sort of move is possible for Furudo Erika. ............What do you think, everyone...?

[...]

BEATO: But Battler-san, even if you can place the letter somehow, how are you going to make your corpse vanish afterwards? ......The guest room is sealed. If you don't find a trick to erase the corpse from the closed room right now, a logic error will occur.

BATTLER: .........I still have time. ......Let me think until the last second. ......Dammit......

With a painful laugh, Battler unconsciously scratched at his head...

BATTLER: Anyways, ......we'll leave the letter like this. ......I can't say oh, sorry about that, having the guest room sealed makes a big contradiction so I'd like to revise my move...! It would mean acknowledging that she caught me. .........Heheh, I feel like a ninja hiding above the ceiling. Even though I was noticed and stabbed by a spear, I just withstand the pain, wipe up the blood, and act as though nothing happened. ......False courage works well enough. ......I can't let her know that this one hurt...

BEATO: .........Battler-san.........

BATTLER: Heh, heheheh. Hey, Beato. Do you know what my face looks like now......? I'm sure it's the same expression you had when I managed to hit you where it hurts in the past... ......Heh......heheheh... ...Dammit...

Beato couldn't think of anything to say... ......Useless words of comfort would only get in the way of Battler's thinking now.

BATTLER: ......What would the old you do...? The old you, who created all of the closed rooms that tormented me so much in the past... ...What kind of trick would she use to erase my corpse from a closed room...?

BEATO: Nn.........nn.........

Beato trembled and groaned.

......The old her had been an expert at closed room tricks. If only that memory...that power...could revive, ...she would be able to help Battler......

[...]

The entrance to the mansion was locked, but Erika had a master key, so she opened it without any trouble.

She had gotten Krauss and the others to take the master keys from the servants, and at that time, she had used a little sleight of hand to pilfer one of them...

DLANOR: Well THEN. Where shall we go FIRST?

ERIKA: Why ask? ......Let's go and hear Battler-san's answer.

Grinning, Erika cut across the entrance hall and passed in front of the dining hall......deeper...deeper.

......She headed for the guest room Battler had lain dead in. Battler could put off deciding whether the seals would remain whole or not until the moment right before Erika witnessed them. However, once she did witness them, ......the Game Master would have to show what had happened to them.

In the witch's game they were in now, ...the simple act of going to check the seals around the guest room was an attack.

DLANOR: .........Are you READY, Lord BATTLER?

BATTLER: Yeah. ......Or as you would say it, .........come, step forward.

ERIKA: <Good>! Then show us your response. Well now, ......are the seals broken or are they not? Has the closed room been preserved, ......or hasn't it...?!

The piece Erika held high in the air......was the white queen, which represented herself. Her target......was Battler's position. She cut in...

~*~*~*~*~

Erika dashed down the hallway with a sickening smile and clung to the guest room door like a spider.

Then, she closely examined the seals she had placed retroactively.

ERIKA: ............Heh......heheheheheheheheeheheheheheehheh! ......Are you sure...? .........Are you sure, ...Battler-saaaaaaan...?!

BEATO: I, ......is this alright, Battler-san...?

BATTLER: ......Yeah, I can't back down here. ......After all, even if I'm sealed in here, ......there are ways of placing the letter.

BEATO: But now, Erika will probably enter the guest room. And then, she will observe your corpse. ......What are you going to do?! If the corpse is there, then there's no problem. ......The letter's prediction missed, but it's not as though there's a penalty for that. ......But still......you intend to fight head on...!

BATTLER: There are times......when a man is challenged head on...that he has to respond, no matter who the opponent. ......I must not...pull back here. ......I'll take that challenge. I can search for a way out all I want to later...! I managed to do that with Kinzo's study last time...! ......Don't worry...I can do it...! I can do it!! Come on, Erikaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

DLANOR: We have confirmed that the seals to the guest room are UNDAMAGED. Since the time Lady Erika confirmed Battler's existence, this closed room has been PRESERVED.

ERIKA: <Good>!! I'm breaking the seals!! Rip, tear!! Heh, hehihihihihihihihihihihi!!!

Erika destroyed the duct tape seal on the door in ecstasy...

It looked as though the intellectual rapist had finally laid her true nature bare.

ERIKA: ......Okay, ......I'm opening it...... Please watch... ...Here's Battler-san's......naked scenario...!! Hehihihahahaahaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

Like a ruffian pushing down a weak girl, ......Erika mercilessly and greedily threw the door open. Then, finally, ......the inside of Battler's guest room was observed by Erika.

Battler had to show it.

.........Was there a corpse, or wasn't there?

~*~*~*~*~

ERIKA: <Come ooooooooooooooon>, Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!

BATTLER: Aaaaaaaaaaahhh, here's my respooooooonse!!

Battler grabbed a black piece from the board and raised it high. ......Aah, ......that piece......

Beato had no memories of the time she had been an expert at this game. And yet, ......for some reason, she realized that this was a move that could not be taken back. Once this piece was moved, they couldn't move it back...!!

Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!

~*~*~*~*~

......The guest room was covered by a silent darkness.

It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. ......However, there was a light switch just off to the side of the entrance.

If she flicked that, the room would be lit up, and she would see whether or not there was a corpse on the bed.

DLANOR: .........Turning them ON.

ERIKA: No, ......wait a second please. ......Battler-san, I have a proposal.

~*~*~*~*~

BATTLER: Let me hear it.

ERIKA: I think you already know, ......but this time around, I am not after a classic sort of victory. ......My enemy is not the lowly culprit killing the pieces, ......but my opponent, you yourself.

BATTLER: .........I know. ......So, ......you're after a logic error.

ERIKA: Heheh......

BATTLER: ......I'm seriously regretting it now. ......You were acting so miserable that I fell for it completely, ......and I gave you a ridiculous privilege.

DLANOR: .........It was your PRIDE. ......It will cost you DEARLY.

BATTLER: .........Damn......it......

BEATO: ......So, ...what is your proposal?

With a firm voice, Beato urged her to continue. Until just a second ago, she had remained behind Battler's back, a bit flustered.

......However, she was steady now. ......She saw that Battler had let his emotions take control and had been lured into making a bad move......and realized that it was time for her to stay cool and support him. Erika's proposal couldn't be anything good. And on top of that, Erika was sly.

She probably wouldn't make a proposal that would be easily rejected...

ERIKA: I will now turn on the light. The top of the bed will be lit up, and it will be decided whether or not Battler has disappeared as the letter predicted. ......If he's there, great. There's nothing strange at all. The letter's prediction would just be wrong. ......Of course, the argument would probably switch over to 'then who put the letter there?', but for the time being, the location of the fight would move outside this closed room.

BEATO: ............And...if he's missing...?

Beato already knew. She knew the move that Battler had made a second ago.

......Battler had......already disappeared from this room......

Therefore, they would need to prepare a disappearing trick other than 'he was actually alive and left through the door'. The situation is simple.

First, this room is a closed room. Also, Battler's life or death status has not been confirmed.

In other words, there is no problem if he is alive. They had to make Erika think that Battler had vanished from this situation.

He just had to escape from the room, ......or if that wasn't possible, he just had to hide somehow and wait for her to leave, making her think that he had disappeared.

ERIKA: Inside this tiny room, ......I will now begin our endgame.........the chase after the king. It should end in just a few moves. You'll be unable to construct the logic needed to let Battler escape from this room, .........and the tale will be destroyed--game over.

BEATO: .........Fighting to keep that from happening is our job. ......What is this proposal of yours?

ERIKA: An endgame fought over a logic error should be a bit more precise. ......Once again, we will fight with the red and blue truths, but we need a referee on the same level as the Game Master to observe and see that he doesn't create any logic errors with the red truth.

BEATO: ......Th, that seems reasonable.

ERIKA: There's nothing special about this. ......Back when the old you was the Game Master, you were under the observation of your guardian, Lady Lambdadelta. In that way, it was judged that all red truths were effective.

BATTLER: ......So, you're telling us to show Lambdadelta our cards?

LAMBDA: I've been watching since the beginning. ......It's okay, don't worry. I am impartial in my judgments.

BEATO: C, can you say that in red...?

LAMBDA: Yep. I swear that I am impartial in my judgments. .........I was very impartial in the last game, wasn't I?

BERN: ......Especially for interesting judgments where she doesn't care which way it falls. .........Accept it, Battler. Erika is going to corner you. Understand? .........She will duel with you and kill you in this room. ......If you're a man, accept the duel......!

BATTLER: S, ......sure, fine. .........We won't get anywhere if you suspect every single impossible murder I show of being a logic error. ......It's true that we need an observer to guarantee that the game is legitimate.

LAMBDA: Then I'll come around to your side. ......Let me take a look at your hand. ............Hmmmmm......? [...] ......Battler. ......You're fighting with some pretty incredible cards here.

BATTLER: Cards...? ......Does this game of chess look like a card game to you?

LAMBDA: ......To me, it looks as though you all are playing a game of poker. So, by moving to this side and looking at the cards you hold, I understand everything. .........That's an awful move. It's a complete waste... And Erika has already seen right through you.

BATTLER: ............Heheh... What would you do?

LAMBDA: I'm the referee. I can't give you advice. ......But let me tell you my impressions.

BATTLER: No, that's okay.

LAMBDA: ......It's chilling. ......You're trying to use this useless move.........this baseless bluff......to make Erika back down... ...She's not going to back down, that girl. ......After all, ......you're the one who should be throwing his chips in and folding now...

BEATO: ......Thanks for the advice. .........Battler-san. I agree with her. ......Let's back down from the fight in this room. We don't have any winning cards...

LAMBDA: Are you hoping for a card change to turn this into something more useful...? ......I thought you were playing chess... In the world of chess, ......if you rely on luck......you die......

[...]

BERN: ......Lambda. I don't know what you're talking about, but you're chatting too much. A referee needs to be impartial.

LAMBDA: True...... ......Then, good luck, Battler. ......I'm hoping for a precise, chess-like battle. ......You aren't playing poker, ......are you......?

ERIKA: Are you ready, Battler-san?

BATTLER: Yeah, I am...... ......Turn the lights on whenever you want.

ERIKA: For the rest of the fight in this room, the progression of time will be stopped. This way, all the moves for both players will be made at the same time, and the first move made will be treated no differently than the last move. ......That might be hard to understand, but that's a rule to protect you and your logic.

BERN: ......From here on out, you can use all the twisted logic you want to rebuild the trick in this room. ......In other words, it's possible that you might think of a good idea partway through the fight. ......Normally, it's unfair to revise your plot partway through. In order for that to be acceptable, ......you need a world stopped in time, where everything happens at once, ......and where logic that you think of afterwards can counter your opponent's earlier moves.

LAMBDA: Of course, Erika can take advantage of this rule as well. ......If you revise your trick to be a new one, she can deal with that in a different way.

BEATO: .........This is pretty complicated...

BATTLER: It's simple. ......It's like a corrupt politician's war of twisted logic. ......You lie shamelessly. When evidence is shown revealing that lie, you retract those previous lies and say that you just remembered it wrong, then change to a new lie that doesn't have any contradictions. ......The fight goes between a lie, then evidence exposing it, then another lie, ......like a fight between two snakes spinning around trying to eat each other's tails.

ERIKA: <Good>! ......Just think of it as a world in which you're allowed to use twisted logic based off of your opponents moves as often as you want. ......I used that myself when sealing this room. So, I thought it was only fair to let you do the same.

BEATO: ......You have no shame, do you...?

LAMBDA: OK!! Then let's have both sides begin! Will Erika take the first move? Will she start by checking the bed...by checking to see what he's bet?!

BERN: Yeah, let's start by checking to see if Battler's on the bed. ......Erika, begin.

ERIKA: Leave it to me, my master! <Light>...<on>!

With a *click*, ......the sound of the light switch rang out......and the bulb turned on, lighting up the room.

......On Battler's......bed......was......

ERIKA: .........Dlanor. Confirm it with the red.

DLANOR: YES. ......Ushiromiya Battler-

BATTLER: No, it's my move. ......I'll say it. ............Ushiromiya Battler is not on the bed.

ERIKA: <Good>. .........I'm glad you didn't run away from the fight. I'm impressed.

BATTLER: ......It's a high-stakes battle, so it'll cost you a lot if you're the one who loses. Are you prepared...?

ERIKA: *giggle* No one would raise the stakes unless they felt confident in their advantage.

BERN: ......Dlanor. Keep a record.

DLANOR: As you WISH.

At Dlanor's nod, Cornelia, who was hanging back, started taking a record.

[...]

LAMBDA: As previously announced, Battler's first move is to have the corpse vanish. ......Now it's Erika's turn. Go ahead.

ERIKA: ......I present the possibility that Ushiromiya Battler is alive and hiding somewhere in this room. I proclaim this with the blue truth.

BATTLER: Ineffective. If you want to use the blue truth, give me a specific location.

BERN: ......Pfft. ......In the last game, Beato did that in Kinzo's study, and Dlanor made Swiss cheese of her, right...? I guess this is revenge...*giggle*...

ERIKA: Before I start searching, I have one blue truth I can use without a search. There is a possibility of a hidden door X that is impossible to discover. He's hidden behind that, so it is impossible for me to find him.

BATTLER: Knox's 3rd. It is forbidden for hidden passages to exist. ......That right?

BEATO: ......No hidden places that are impossible for Erika-san to find exist inside the guest room.

DLANOR: Knox's 3rd......EFFECTIVE.

ERIKA: <Good>. ......Then let's get started with the search.

......Erika slowly began to walk around the room......

Until the endgame had started, Erika had been energetic, jumping about impatiently like a hungry dog. However, ......now that it had actually begun...

......This was a stifling battle of wits......where each breath made her tense...

[...]

ERIKA: Now that I've searched the room, what is its layout?

DLANOR: ......The guest room is divided into two rooms, the bedroom and the BATHROOM. Lady Erika has currently searched the entire bedroom SECTION. There is only one EXCEPTION.

ERIKA: .........I'll leave that one place be for the time being. So, were there any irregularities discovered in the bedroom?

DLANOR: There were NONE. Except for one location, there is no one to be seen in the BEDROOM.

BATTLER: ......What's this 'except for one location' business? Say it without being annoying.

ERIKA: There's a reason a face-down card remains face down. ......I'll turn it over if it's needed, so look forward to it. ......*giggle*.

After thoroughly checking the bedroom, ......Erika headed for the bathroom door. [...]

ERIKA: I'm checking the bathroom.

DLANOR: ......Lady Erika. ......The sound of water can be heard from INSIDE. Also, there is a faint HEAT.

ERIKA: Ooh......? ......Don't tell me he's taking a shower... Is it locked or anything...?

BATTLER: No, it isn't locked. Go ahead and open it.

ERIKA: ......Then, if you'll allow me.

Slowly......Erika put her hand on the doorknob on the bathroom door...... ......She tried to push it open, but felt a strange resistance.

[...]

Out from the slightly open crack poured the hot air from the shower.

However, it was unlocked, so there probably wasn't anyone taking a shower.

After letting a dumbfounded expression rise to her face, Erika slammed into the door with her whole body, knocking it open...

ERIKA: Hyaa?! Wh, ...what?!?!

As soon as she opened the door, a hot blast poured out on her.

Erika froze, unable to understand what had happened.

After falling backwards on her butt, she realized that boiling hot shower water was spewing out at her, and hard.

ERIKA: Wh, ......what is this......? ......What a crazy......prank......

Cursing, Erika wrapped the blanket from the bed around herself, and tried to enter the bathroom once more. This time, she was able to figure out what was going on. It was......an elaborate prank.

A wire fixed the shower nozzle in place so that it pointed at the entrance.

The pressure and heat were turned up to the max, so that anyone who went through the door would be met with a wave of hot water. The pressure was very strong, which probably accounted for the weight she had felt when trying to push the door open. She tried to make the nozzle point in another direction, but not only was it fixed in place by the wire, it was also fixed in a place high enough that Erika couldn't reach it with her height. She tried to turn off the pressure, but that was also held in place by wires.

She couldn't manage anything with her bare hands. She would have to get a tool that could cut the wires. However, when she looked into the bathtub, which was filled with very hot water, she saw a bundle of wires and some nippers that had been used to cut them lying at the bottom.

If she used that, she could turn off the pressure...

ERIKA: ......Ah, owowowowowowow!! ......Damn you...!!

The blanket she had used to protect herself from the shower was getting more and more drenched with boiling hot water. At this rate, she'd get burns even through the blanket.

[...] Right next to the bathtub, she saw a hanging long-handled body brush. [...] Erika used that to skillfully scrape the nippers up off the bottom of the tub.

Fortunately, it was a shallow western-style bathtub. If it had been a deep Japanese one, it would probably have burned her badly. Making sure not to touch the hot metal parts, she carefully took the nippers......and cut the wires around the faucet... [...]

ERIKA: *pant*, ...*pant*! *pant*......*pant*!!

She finally closed the faucet and the heat from the hot water storm died down.

......For a while, Erika was forced to cool her almost burnt arms under running water...

DLANOR: ......What a CALAMITY.

ERIKA: Would you like a bath? I can wash your face with this brush.

DLANOR: Allow me to PASS.

ERIKA: Oh. ......That's a SHAME.

Erika had finally regained enough of her composure to be abusive......

She closed the faucet completely, ......and silence returned to the bathroom. After that, all that remained was Erika's heavy breathing. She turned on the fan to get rid of the hot steam.

She had to leave the bathroom until that was finished. [...]

ERIKA: ......Now that was a ridiculous trap. ...However, that wasn't here at the time I examined Battler's 'corpse'. Therefore, the appearance of this trap proves that Ushiromiya Battler was alive. ......Well, I never thought he was dead anyways.

DLANOR: ......So he decided to openly show a card that had already been EXPOSED.

ERIKA: Let's check the inside of the bathroom. Was Battler seen?

DLANOR: NO. No one was seen in the BATHROOM.

ERIKA: <Good>. Now we've confirmed that, except for one location, Battler does not exist in any place inside the guest room.

BEATO: ......Give that a rest. Just where is this one exception?

ERIKA: A coffin. .........Ushiromiya Battler's coffin, that is.

DLANOR: ......Ashes to ashes, the dead to their COFFINS.

BATTLER: .........You'll try to trap me in this room, right? ......Okay. Let's have it.

The silence that was complete except for the rain......was suddenly filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Though it was extremely quiet, ......the room was filled with tension......as though you'd be sliced in half if you relaxed for an instant. A cloud of gold butterflies gathered on the room's round table......and turned into a witch's chess board.

It was finally......time for the siege.

ERIKA: Blue truth. You did not vanish from this room. You just hid yourself to make it seem as though you'd disappeared from a closed room. The place you are hiding......is the 'one exception' that I haven't investigated yet.

As Erika lightly raised her right hand, ......a single gold butterfly appeared from the darkness behind her, ......flitted between the index finger and middle finger of Erika's raised hand, and became a white piece.

Then, .........she lifted it high into the air......

ERIKA: This is the one exception. ......The walk-in closet next to the entrance!!

*bang*!!

......Like a falling white lightning bolt, ......the white piece hit the board......landing by a weak spot in Battler's formation......

DLANOR: Yes, it is HERE...!!!

With a crash, the door of the closet, which was just off to the side of the guest room's entrance, was impaled by a spear that represented the blue truth. Dlanor had spun around and thrown it.

The door was completely pierced, ......and the spear stuck in so deeply that if a human had been hiding in it, it would have pierced their chest as well. ......Its still quivering handle was a testament to the force with which it had been thrown.

BATTLER: ..................

DLANOR: There are no places in which to hide other than THIS. You are now hiding in HERE.

ERIKA: .........What do you say, Battler-san...? Have you been struck through the chest for a literal Smothered Mate...?

BATTLER: ..................

BEATO: ......Battler-san. ......It's our move now.

BATTLER: Yeah. ......I thought it would be like that, Erika. You intentionally left one spot open so you could stuff me into that coffin. ......It's the same move that trapped Kinzo in Natsuhi's room. ......I saw this move coming.

ERIKA: Oh, ......did you? ......Then let's see your response. ......But let me make a prediction.

BATTLER: Let's hear it.

ERIKA: ......I'll checkmate you in just two moves from now. That's my prediction.

BATTLER: Then I'll make the same prediction. ......I'll checkmate you in just two moves.

LAMBDA: .........Sounds interesting.

BERN: ......These predictions contradict each other. .........Who will be the liar, I wonder......?

The air burst and sparked.

......The silence would hurt one's skin.

DLANOR: Then GO. ......It is your TURN.

BEATO: ......It's useless. Your lowly coffin won't be able to trap Battler-san.

BATTLER: Here's my response.

Slowly, ......Battler held his hand over the chess board. A gold butterfly that had appeared from the darkness rested on Battler's finger and became a black piece.

......That black piece was the king, ......which represented Battler.

BATTLER: ............This is my response...to your 'Battler is hiding in the closet'... ......Take this. Ushiromiya Battler does not exist within the guest room. ......There are no exceptions, including the closet.

Like a black bolt of lightning this time, ......Battler slammed his piece down on the white piece of Erika's that had cut deep behind his lines......crushing her piece.

It scattered like a golden spray and melted beautifully into the darkness as a faint cloud of gold sparks drifted about......

[...]

ERIKA: ......<Good>. Yeah, I'm sure you aren't. ......I'd already foreseen that move.

Next was Erika's turn.

......A gold butterfly popped into existence in front of Erika.........and she grabbed it right out of the air.

She then lifted that hand into the air......and raised the white piece high.

ERIKA: Let me announce a retroactive move. This occurs back in the very beginning, right after I broke the seals and entered this room. ......At that time, I immediately closed the door, reset the chain, and sealed this room.

BATTLER: Objection. Gohda severed the chain back when the crime was first discovered. Since the chain lock is not functioning, it is impossible to use it to create a seal.

BERN: Objection overruled. Erika repaired the chain lock. ......See?

BEATO: ......Impossible. ......How could she have repaired a brass chain?

LAMBDA: It is possible to repair. ......Have you forgotten, Beato? The duct tape seals. ......Erika used that duct tape to join the two cut ends of the chain together, 'sealing' them. In other words, the chain was repaired by the duct tape, and this room once again became a closed room locked from the inside.

BEATO: O, objection. Erika-san has already used up her duct tape seals, hasn't she...?! She shouldn't be able to use them anymore...!

LAMBDA: Objection overruled. The use of the duct tape wasn't limited by the number of strips, right? It was by the number of rooms. ......The only restriction was to limit it to only three rooms. ......Erika chose this guest room to be one of those rooms. So, Erika has the right to seal as many places as many times as she wants within this room.

BEATO: ......Gah.........

BATTLER: ......That's right. ......I...gave her permission to do that.

DLANOR: This is what you get for your PRIDE. ......Sympathy is the evil liquor that the proud are most fond of.

ERIKA: So, with this retroactive move, I proclaim that the chain lock has been repaired by the duct tape seal and has regained its original functionality. And, thanks to that, I locked the room upon entering it and made this guest room a closed room from the inside once more.

The white piece Erika held aloft......represented the seal caused by the chain lock. This move would draw out Battler's king and drag it to the guillotine.

ERIKA: Die, Battler.

The piece for the chain lock was slammed down right at Battler's king's throat.

ERIKA: Repeat it. 'The lock created by the chain is currently intact'.

BATTLER: ............!

Battler's face contorted. ......Beato, who was watching from behind, grimaced even more.

[...]

BATTLER: ......In that case, ......my choice is obvious.

BEATO: B, ......Battler-san. ......This guest room has already been restricted in many ways by the red truth due to its closed room nature. ......How do you plan on escaping from this...?!

BATTLER: .........If only I could do something about the chain lock...... ......If only......

[...]

BEATO: Even if we lose the fight in this room, there will still be chances left to us. We've still only started the second day, haven't we? We have plenty of time to reconstruct an impossible murder.

BATTLER: ......No, that's no good. If I acknowledge that I've escaped from this room now, it's the same as acknowledging that I'm the culprit! ......If I back down from the fight in this room, ......it's the same as accepting my defeat in this game.

[...]

BEATO: Wait, ......are you actually going to respond to her demand...?! Is there any way to escape without undoing the chain lock?! .........There isn't! If you respond, ......you'll lose instantly from the logic error at the end! It's clear which choice we ought to make!

BATTLER: Yeah, it's clear. .........No matter what move we choose, it'll turn for the worst just as Erika wants. ......If it's horrible either way, ......I'd like to choose the move that has the biggest reward if we win......!

LAMBDA: .........You're going to call even though you have no logic for escaping and no trump cards? ......You think you can accept her demand and win...?!

BATTLER: My cards might be useless. ......However, ......with just one more card, they might become a straight, a flush, ......or even a royal flush. .........If hell waits for me after both options, ......I'll take the one that'll finish her off if I win...!

LAMBDA: Th, ......that's an insane move. ......Sometimes, when madmen jump into the path of death, .........a miracle will occur......

BEATO: It's impossible!! H, ......how could you escape this closed room without removing the chain?!!

LAMBDA: ......There's only one difference between heroes and madmen. ......It's whether they win or lose. .........I'll be looking forward......to your big victory......

[...]

ERIKA: ......So, Battler-san? Let's have that second move that you predicted you would checkmate me on.

DLANOR: Please give an answer to Lady Erika's DEMAND. ......Will you RESPOND, ......or will you REFUSE...?!

Slowly.........Battler's hand stretched out to his king piece on the board.

He lifted it up.........and slowly......held it aloft......tracing a large circle in the sky...... Would Battler respond......or wouldn't he?

Would the lock caused by the chain be preserved, or wouldn't it? ......Would Battler's king crush the piece of the chain lock that stood right in front of it...?

......Or would it slip away like a ghost......and escape......

BATTLER: This is......my response. ......As predicted, ......on my second turn.........you're through. .........Here it comes. ......Furudo......Erika...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!

Battler's king had become a black lightning bolt and crashed down onto the board... Where had it gone?! On top of the piece of the chain lock? Or past that piece...?

BATTLER: .........I will repeat it. The lock caused by the chain is intact.

Battler's king.........had left the chain lock piece in its place...

......and had slipped past it......

ERIKA: Heh, ......heheheheheheheh...... ......Yeah, it sure would be cool if you could say that the chain lock was still set, wouldn't it......? Don't you think that'd be cool......? ......But do you know what they call a fool who's full of himself and jumps into the path of death just because it's cool......?

BATTLER: ......No clue......

ERIKA: Ushiromiya...Battler. .........That's what we call them aaaahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh, I file a motion for a logic error!! That red truth of yours just now has cut off your own logic!! Please have the impartial referee make her judgment immediately!! Great Lady Lambdadeltaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

BERN: Motion received. ......Lambdadelta. Does this make logical sense? Your inspection please.

LAMBDA: Motion received. .........Battler. .........Show me. Let me see......your cards.........

BEATO: .........Battler......san.........

LAMBDA: ......It is a royal flush...right......? If you've got nothing, ......you won't get out of this with just a 'sorry', okay......?

BATTLER: ..................Yeah. I have no intention of apologizing.

LAMBDA: ......If it's a logic error, the game board will be blown away. ......You have inherited this game board from Beato. .........It's the one thing you have left of that precious Beato. So, you must not accept a logic error.

A logic error only becomes established when the witch admits to it.

As long as they can keep thinking of new logic to escape with, ......they will not die, cannot die.

However, ......that would be like living in an endless living hell of the mind.

LAMBDA: ......Even if you manage to crawl around forever after falling onto the darkness of thought, ......you'll just be eternally trapped in a hell where you constantly think of ways to escape the closed room while denying the logic error. ......Are you sure?! Are you sure?! This is nearly as bad as the depths of oblivion, got it?!?! It's like the difference between falling from the roof of a ten story building and falling from the roof of a hundred story building!!

BERN: .........Lambda. Battler has already finished making his move. Players can't take back a move once it's made. ......Act as an impartial judge, carry out our motion, and see whether or not Battler's escape from the closed room is logical...and whether there has been a logic error or not. Be slow, accurate, and meticulous like an archeologist. ......And, be as fast as a guy at an ice cream shop when he forcefully and skillfully scoops out that sweet, fragrant vanilla/soy sauce ice cream!!!

LAMBDA: Y, ...yes, I know that. .........Battler......let me see it.

BEATO: ............Battler-san......

BATTLER: Beato, ...do you think I'll lose?

BEATO: ......I don't want to think that. ......After fighting with the old me many times, ......you finally reached the miracle that I so wanted you to find. ......So, ......I'd like to believe............that you'll win through a miracle once again...!

BATTLER: .........This woman called Beatrice... ...The whole time......she fought on that same border between reason and madness. ......She fought with a mixture of sadness, anger, and several other emotions for me that can't be described with words. .........And in the very last game.........at the very last moment......she managed......to seize victory. [...] That Beato entrusted me with this game board. ......So, I'll win. ......So, I need you alone to believe in me. ......Beatrice...

BEATO: If I believe, ......and a miracle occurs...

BATTLER: ............Please.

BEATO: I do believe in you......!! Battler-san...!!!

ERIKA: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh, this is pissing me ooooooooooooff!!! Please just check it already, Lady Lambdadelta!! There is no valid logic! There doesn't exist any way to get out of this closed room!! You were overeager, Battler-san! If you could win with this, that'd be cool! It'd be so cool if you vanished even though the chain is still set, wouldn't it? Kyaaaaaaaaaaaahhahhaaaaaaaaahhh!! Like hell you caaaaaaaaaaaannn!! Like hell you can do iiiiiiiit!! If you could do that, you really would be a witch! If you could vanish your way out of this closed room like a puff of smoke, I'd have to acknowledge it! It'd be the work of a wiiiiiiiitch!!!

DLANOR: Quiet, Lady Erika! ......Lady Lambdadelta is conducting her INSPECTION.

LAMBDA: ........................Pass through, one move. ...Go back, ......corner.

With sweat gathering on her forehead, ......Lambdadelta inspected the movements of the pieces from Battler's side.

She was as accurate and meticulous as an archeologist, ......just as Bernkastel had told her to be.

LAMBDA: ............

After gulping stiffly, ......Lambda looked between the formation of the pieces on the board......and Battler's face, which remained tense but steady.

BERN: ......Lambda.........?

LAMBDA: .........I have......finished my inspection......

ERIKA: There's no way the logic works......!

BEATO: .........Please......God......

ERIKA: ............

BATTLER: .........Erika.

ERIKA: What...?

BATTLER: I'm very sorry.

ERIKA: Wh, ......which way am I supposed to take that...?!!

BATTLER: It was fun. ......Now, this is the end.

ERIKA: I told you, ......which way am I supposed to take thaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!

LAMBDA: Silence!! I have finished inspecting Battler's move. .........My decision- ......Effective.

ERIKA: E...ffective.........?

BERN: ......You're lying...!!

LAMBDA: I judge it to be effective. ......He's presented logic that doesn't violate any of the red truths, and I've finished checking it. ......The move by the player on the witch side, along with that final red truth he repeated, is effective. .........Battler. For the first time, ......I have to say I think you're incredible...

BATTLER: .........See? ......In your game, ......a miracle will always occur if you believe.

BEATO: B, ...Battler...san......!! I...I'm sorry...!! If only I had believed more strongly, ......you wouldn't have been cornered like this......!! Waaaaaaaahh!!

Beato flew onto Battler's chest, sobbing...

[...]

DLANOR: Well......DONE............To think......that you escaped the room......without removing the chain......simply SPLENDID......

With her small hands, Dlanor slowly started to applaud quietly.

......She was followed by Gertrude, and then Cornelia.

......And then by Beato and Lambdadelta too. .........Applause......filled the room......

[...]

ERIKA: Impossible.........Im......possible...... ......Eee...eeeeeeeeeeek.........!

Erika [...] was breathing hard, shocked and dizzy with a despair she couldn't accept [...]

As Erika had predicted, ......Battler had been hiding in the closet.

Then, during the disturbance in the bathroom, he had snuck out of the door. ......Erika had guessed this much. That's why they retroactively set the chain lock and sealed it to prevent Battler from doing this very thing.

The chain lock cannot be reset from the outside. So, it should have been impossible to escape from the closed room. However, ......Battler didn't let his thinking get trapped inside this closed room, ......and so, he broke through.

......It doesn't matter who, ......but let's explain it with his mother, Kyrie's piece. Just like Battler, the life or death status of the rest of the first twilight victims has not been specified by the red truth. In other words, ......just like Battler, ......the others...and specifically, Kyrie, can still move.

And their closed rooms were not sealed, so they can go out as they please.

......Kyrie......had come to save him. Kyrie followed behind Erika, ......and had waited in the hallway while the latter had entered the guest room and sealed the door from the inside.

......Then, after Battler undid the chain lock and escaped, .........she entered the room in his place...... Then, ......Kyrie reset the chain lock from the inside, ......and hid in the closet, ......just like Battler had done...... Yes. ......Battler truly isn't inside this guest room right now.

However, that doesn't mean that no one else is inside it. ......Kyrie took Battler's place in the closet, ......the one exception that Erika had left, and is there still......

Kyrie......saved Battler.........

USHIROMIYA KYRIE CANNOT SAVE BATTLER.

......Huh......?

LAMBDA: Wh, ......what do you mean......?

DLANOR: ...... Ushiromiya Kyrie......cannot save Battler.

LAMBDA: ...Wh, ......why not? There's no red saying that Kyrie can't save Battler! Wait a second, ......how are you using the red truth?!

BERN: Effective. .........Dlanor's red truth is effective.

DLANOR: Requesting permission to unsheathe red key.

ERIKA: .........Permission granted. Please do it, Dlanor.

LAMBDA: H, .........how......? ......How...can you give that permission?!?!

BERN: Effective. ......As part of an impartial judgment, I guarantee this red truth.

LAMBDA: ......Without telling us your reason?!

BERN: We'll tell you that soon. ......Very soon.

LAMBDA: ...B, ......Battler hasn't proclaimed Kyrie dead with the red truth yet...! It is allowed for Kyrie to be playing dead! And the duct tape has already been used on three rooms, making it impossible for you to seal Kyrie's room...! So how can you use the red truth to say that Kyrie can't save Battler?! That red truth has no basis!!

BERN: We'll tell you its basis soon. ......But more importantly, Lambda......? ......The logic with Kyrie has ceased to function. ......You should probably find another piece to switch places with Battler, don't you think...?

LAMBDA: ..................Nn, ......y, ...yes. ......There are still pieces that can save Battler. [...] Then let's switch it to Natsuhi. ......Ushiromiya Natsuhi switched places with Battler...!

ERIKA: Dlanor. ......Do it.

DLANOR: As you WISH.

Dlanor's red longsword......smashed Natsuhi's piece into little bits...

How...?! How......can Erika deny this logic......without the detective's authority?!

DLANOR: Ushiromiya Natsuhi cannot save Battler.

LAMBDA: Th, then Eva! Ushiromiya Eva!!

DLANOR: Ushiromiya Eva cannot save Battler.

LAMBDA: Then Rosa! Maria!!

DLANOR: USELESS. Rosa and Maria can't save him EITHER. ......DEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATH <Die the death>! <Sentence to death>! <Great equalizer is the death>!!

BEATO: O, objection! Erika-san doesn't have the detective's authority! ......How can she use any red except for the duct tape seals...?!

BERN: Objection overruled. ......Not having the detective's authority does not imply that one cannot use any red at all. .........There's something she can use. ......Right?

ERIKA: Yes, ......there is. There are several exceptions that even humans without the detective's authority can use.

BATTLER: ......Insane... ......There's no way.

DLANOR: YES, there is NONE. ......However, ......there is a certain action permissible only to humans without the detective's authority, ......and it can become a truth of such overwhelming credibility that witches can easily raise it to the level of red TRUTH.

BEATO: A certain action......permissible only to humans who aren't the detective......?

BATTLER: ............Y, ......you don't mean... ...Erika......you...

LAMBDA: ......I...I've got it. ......Yes, ...if I'm right...this red truth is effective...

BEATO: I...I don't understand! Was there some power that could only be used without the detective's authority...?!

BATTLER: .........There is. ......There is just one.

ERIKA: So, you've finally noticed. ......That's right. ......That's the only reason...I abandoned the detective's authority this time around. ......You told me I could make the detective proclamation whenever I wanted, right? ......Well, unfortunately, ...I am no longer capable of making that proclamation.

BATTLER: Which......number rule was it......?

DLANOR: Knox's 7th. .........It is...forbidden for the detective to be the culprit.

BEATO: Y, you mean.........wh, ......whaaat?!

......Finally, Beato realized everything. Yes, ......the detective's authority bestows several powers that are useful for reasoning, but it eliminates one single privilege.

That is Knox's 7th.

......It is forbidden for the detective to be the culprit...

ERIKA: ......In this game, ......it is impossible for humans without the detective's authority to examine corpses perfectly. ......So, ......there have been several tricks where the dead have all been faking and walking around where they please. ......You probably thought you could use that logic to create several impossible crimes after this. ......When I said that I wouldn't make the detective proclamation, somewhere on the inside, you must have said 'I've won'. ......You're pretty sly yourself. You gave me the duct tape seals, seemingly out of mercy, but that was because you planned to have all of the first twilight victims survive, band together, and carry out the crimes. So, you gave me only three rooms' worth, which wouldn't cover all six people. No matter which rooms I sealed, at least one of your underlings could move freely. .........You must have been plotting to use that to corner me. ......But too bad. Your naivety really pisses me off. ......Stupid man!

BATTLER: ............I admit it. ......I admit that I fell for your monkey show...and that in my pride, I tried to show you some mercy. .........That's right. ......Even without the detective's authority, ......there is a way. ......A way to make sure that a corpse examination cannot fail.

Is the human lying in front of you alive or dead?

You can answer that question by examining the corpse. With just a quick glance, your chances of being right are 50-50 either way.

Various bits of knowledge and experience can be used to obtain a more precise result. .........However, no matter how much you do that, while you can reach up to 99%, you can never reach 100% accuracy.

......That's what most people would think.

However, there is one way. ......One way to conduct a perfect examination.

ERIKA: And that is.........to kill them.

BATTLER: .........Erikaa...aa......

ERIKA: Without the detective's authority, I can't tell whether the victims are dead or faking. So, I needed a way to be sure. ......And, if possible, it would be preferable if they were removed from the game board so that they couldn't make a mess of things later on. So, I dashed all over the mansion, visited all the crime scenes, and......I re-killed all of them.

BEATO: Wh......what on...earth.........

BERN: .........Of course, she couldn't just kill them however she liked. ......It had to be a perfect way of killing, good enough that their deaths could be determined with the red truth. ......Erika made sure of that. The manner in which they were each killed differed, ......but afterwards, she completely severed the heads of all those she killed. ......That method of killing is solid enough to be called a red truth, right...? Lambda......?

LAMBDA: ......E, .........effective. No human could survive.........after having their head sliced off...!

BEATO: C, could you have severed all of those heads without getting any blood on you?!

ERIKA: For example, you could take a large trash bag from the kitchen and grab the knife through it. ......Then, if you covered the entire corpse with the trash bag as you did your work, you'd block nearly all of the blood spatter. I used enough knives and bags for several people, then left them there at the crime scene. Of course, I didn't humiliate myself by walking around with them, leaving blood in the hallways and dirtying my clothes. There will probably be trash bags left at the crime scene with my fingerprints on them, but since this game ends before the police come, that can't be used as evidence, so there was no problem with leaving them there.

BATTLER: ......Are you insane? ......What kind of...mystery would...ever allow something like that......?

ERIKA: I can't believe I'm hearing this from a witch on the fantasy side. Oh, and don't worry. I didn't kill you. ......I didn't have time to sever the head of the last one found, so I just sealed your whole room with the duct tape you gave me. ......Then again, that might've been because I knew this would happen and wanted to watch you struggle. .........*giggle*, ......*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*! Oh, that's right. ......Just like I can say that I killed them in red, I can say one more thing.

At that point, Erika stopped for a second, ......and still, ...aaah, can she really be wearing an even uglier expression than everything before now......? With that...highest quality face, ......she spoke.

ERIKA: All five people I killed......were very much alive until the moment I killed them. ......Everyone faithfully played dead as best they could until the moment just before I killed them, okay? .........Maria-san was quite the little trooper. .........After all, even though her mother had already been killed in the same room, ......she kept on playing dead without even noticing...... *giggle*, *giggle*giggle*- Hahahahaha, ahhahahahahahahahahaha...hehahyahhahahahaahahaaahaaaah!!

[...]

BATTLER: You bastards.........you bastards...... ...Uu......uugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

This time, Beato understood the entire plot of this tale.

This tale......was just the story of a prank. Surely, someone had thought of playing a slightly harsh trick on this inconsiderate guest, who loved to show off her intelligence and act the part of a great detective......and several people had agreed to go along with it. Then, the ones who would play the victims would go into their assigned rooms, set the chain and the lock from the inside, ......and play dead......to create a fake closed room murder...... ......If you think about it that way, the rooms chosen for the corpses seem to make more sense.

It was only natural for Natsuhi to 'die' in her own room. ......If you're going to play dead, it's only natural that you'd want to lie down on your own bed.

Eva's vanity is strong, so she must have asked to 'die' in the VIP room.

Kyrie was in Krauss's study. ......That was probably well air-conditioned and comfortable.

Rosa and Maria were in the parlor. A soft sofa should have been a great place to play dead. ......Maria had done her best and had impressively acted the part of lying dead alongside the wall.

Battler was in a guest room. The temperature here was also nice. The bed must also have been fairly pleasant.

...Yes. The victims for this first twilight had all died in comfortable rooms. In the past games, the corpses had often been found exposed in the courtyard or under the rose garden arbor. In the cold gardening shed or in the boiler room......

This time, there were no victims in any such inhospitable environments. This......is probably the truth. This is the story of a prank, with no one dead since it started...

And then.........this......demon.........had turned it into a real murder case......!

DLANOR: ......You do have the right to speak ill of Lady Erika. ......However, ......now, you also have the obligation of showing a new logic that doesn't lead to any CONTRADICTIONS.

ERIKA: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Corpses to corpses...! Hey, Battler-san? Let's continue the game!! Please present a different human to switch places with you. If you don't, your trick......will become a logic error......

There's now......no one who can come to the rescue.

Erika's killed all of them!!

BATTLER: D, ......dammit......dammit, dammit, dammiiiiiiiiit!!

BEATO: ......Battler-san, please, calm yourself...! Now's the time to wipe our tears away and fight...! Even if you've lost five pieces who can save you, there's still the 11 people in the guesthouse!

BATTLER: Y, you're right... ......Krauss, Hideyoshi, Rudolf, ......George, Jessica, Shannon, Kanon! Genji, Gohda, Kumasawa, Nanjo!! It doesn't matter who, as long as someone comes here!! Somebody, somebody, heeeeeeeeelp!!

ERIKA: But it's no uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse!! Please, looook at thiiiiiiiiiis! Gertruude, Corneliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

BOTH: Let it be known that we are here and ready.

ERIKA: Bwaattleeer-shwaaaaaann!! Pweease, look at thiiiiiiiiiisss!! Whhhaaaaat arrrre theeeesse?!

Erika, who was now so excited that her pronunciation was tumbling all over the place, pointed at two doors. It was the hallway on the second floor of the guesthouse... ......They were in front of the cousins' room and the next room over.

ERIKA: Look, here, here! There's something attached to the door?! What is it?! What is it?! Hey, what is it, Gertruuuuuuuuuuuude?!

GERTRUDE: ......Know that it is the duct tape seal of the cousins' room.

ERIKA: <Oh, yeeeeeeeeaah>!! <Very goooooooooooood>!! <One more>!! What about this dooooooooooooooor?!?!

CORNELIA: Know that it is the duct tape seal of the next room over.

ERIKA: Ｏｈ、ｖｅｒｙ　ＧＯＯＤ!! Okay, you two! Why don't you show everyone watching at home on their TVs?!! Please have a look at the duct tape seals on both doors!! So, what do you think of them...?! Are they broken, or aren't they...? Please, let us have the red truth!!

BOTH: Please, allow me to speak. Know that neither is broken.

GERTRUDE: Know that an unbroken seal proves that there are still none who have entered or exited.

CORNELIA: It needs no second telling, but know that entry or exit without breaking the seal is impossible!!

DLANOR: Ｇｏｏｄ. ...Battler, it is as you SEE. ......There no longer exists anyone who can save YOU.

[...]

BATTLER: Uu...ku...gghh.........!

[...]

ERIKA: Well now. ......Who's going to come save you? Please tell me who the 'real' person is who switched places with you, remained in the guest room in your place, and set the chain lock from the inside. If they even exist.

BERN: .........Okay, Battler...? Your logic has been interrupted. ......Who could have come to save you? You are now in the middle of a logic error.

BATTLER: Uu... ......w, ......wait... I'm still......thinking......!

LAMBDA: ......Battler, you have two options and one obligation. ......The first option is to build a new thread of logic to reconstruct your closed room trick. The second is to come clean and admit to your logic error. And your obligation is to choose one of these options.

BERN: It is merciful. There's no restriction on the amount of time you have to make that choice. .........*giggle*, that's right, your time is endless, eternal.

BEATO: I...I'm sure there's still some way......some twisted logic that can get you out of this... ...Anyways, ...I'm sure there's still some way......!

BATTLER: I'm thinking about it! What about you, Beato?! ......Let me know if you find anything... ......I'm sure the old Beato...could have managed something... She built up several closed rooms like this...!!

Beato felt awful...

......Why was she Beato, and yet not?!

Surely, the old her would have thought up a trick under these restrictions. If only she could do that, she could guide Battler to victory......but she couldn't do it as her current self!

BERN: *giggle*. Yeah, I'm sure you'll think of a good trick. Eventually, surely, probably, maybe. ......Pretty sure it's impossible though. *giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*!!

LAMBDA: ......So then, Battler. ......Let's go back to the guest room. From now on, that will be your world.

Once again, ......they returned to the slightly chilly guest room.

It was the same room as before, of course, ......but it felt as though an unsettling darkness had crept in...

BERN: Here's the room you'll spend your days in from now on. .........You just need to escape from this room by any means you want.

ERIKA: ......However, there are conditions. ......As I believe you know, these were all things you forced on yourself. ......First, this room is a closed room created from the inside. The seals on the windows are intact, so there can be no escape from there. Of course, there is no way to escape by leaving through the bathroom. ......I'll make it simple. There is no exit to escape from except for this door. However, the chain lock on this door is set. You can unset and reset it all you want, but you can only do so from the inside. Furthermore, you are free to go out through the door, but you cannot leave or escape while the chain lock is unset. You have to show that you can escape from this room with the chain lock still connected......!!

BEATO: ......But......he couldn't possibly......

LAMBDA: He couldn't possibly do it? He made this closed room himself...!!

BERN: We have set up...just one exit other than the door. ......That one's in the bathroom.

ERIKA: My merciful master has arranged for a last way out if you fail to think of any trick to escape. ......Please listen up!!

Bernkastel guided Battler to the bathroom.

It was just a normal bathroom.

The setup that had surprised Erika to buy time was no longer working. However, the bundle of wire and the nippers that had been used to prepare that trap...still lay in the empty bathtub.

BATTLER: Are you saying......that I can use these to escape......?

BERN: Yes, please feel free. It's a present. ......However, no matter what you use, you can't lock the room from the outside. And you can't fool the seals either, okay? These tools aren't here to help you pull some trick with the chain lock. ......They're here to let you escape from this room in a more direct way...

BATTLER: ......H......how am I supposed to use these......?

LAMBDA: ..................Not bad, Bern. ......I see......that your mind's as grotesque as ever......

BERN: There is an exit that leads directly outside from this bathroom. ......Can you find it?

BEATO: ......Y...you don't mean......

BATTLER: D, did you figure it out, Beato...?! Please, tell me...!!

BEATO: That's.........i, ......impossible.........

BATTLER: Please, where is it?! Tell me!! We can't let the game end like this!!

BEATO: There......

BATTLER: Huh? Where......? Under...the bathtub......?

ERIKA: Can't you see it? There's a round hole that leads straight out of this room.

LAMBDA: ......It's a bit small though......

BATTLER: Y, ......you......you.........aahh......nngggyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh......

BERN: It's the drain right there at the bottom of the bathtub. You can get out of there without touching the chain lock. But your body is a bit too big to get through this exit. That's why I decided to lend you those tools there.

[...] Battler and Beato......had already realized.

...They had figured out this demonic way out that the demons were proposing......

ERIKA: Just use those nippers......and cut your body into pieces that can fit.

BERN: ......*crunch*crunch*. ......Might as well sit back in the tub under a hot shower...as you start from your feet going up...chip then wash, chip then wash... Just keep doing that and, oh, what do you know, you've suddenly managed to escape from the closed room.

ERIKA: 'Oh, what do you know' is right, my master...! Looks like both siblings are gonna end up the same way...! Heheh......heheheheheheheheheeheheheh!!

LAMBDA: But Bern...? At that rate, just the hand holding the nippers will be left.

BERN: That's why we have the wire... ...Beforehand, Battler will have to wrap the wire around his wrist, then stretch the other end out into the corridor through the crack in the door. ......You should be able to fit just a wrist through the crack left by the chain lock. ......If you're willing to do that, I'd be happy to pull that wire from the hallway and save you.

ERIKA: My master, if you do that, I want it!! Battler's wrist...eheheheheheheheheeheheheheheheh!!

BERN: And what would you use that for...? But no, I've already decided to use it as a back scratcher. When the time comes, I'll scratch your back with it. What do you say?

ERIKA: Y, yeees, my master......Master's going to scratch my back...with Battler's handhahahaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaahhh!!

LAMBDA: ........Finding them annoying? Irritating? Obnoxious? ......Don't worry, it'll get quiet really soon. ......All noise to disturb your thoughts.........will now disappear for all eternity, until you can escape from this room.

BATTLER: Th, ...that's a relief... I'll be glad of the quiet...!

LAMBDA: ............Here's......some advice from a survivor of hell. ......Enjoy this noise while you can. .........Even the annoying insults you hear now......will bring you fond memories to preserve your sanity while amidst the eternal silence. .........Do you hate Bern and Erika? Then that's their parting gift to you. ......As long as you have hatred, you will be able to avoid giving up. Giving up has a completely different meaning here, okay...? ......Prepare yourself while you can...for the eternity of the hell you'll be in when you've given up...but still cannot escape.

BEATO: Did you just call yourself a survivor......? ......Then, ......you also......

LAMBDA: ......You know, ............every once in a while, ...that terror comes back to me. .........I wonder......whether I really have escaped from that hell. .........What if......I actually lost my mind a long time ago......and I'm still in there...just seeing a delusion of us all chatting happily like this...? ......That nightmare still terrifies me... ......And so, I need to constantly feel...truly feel that this isn't a dream... ......Hey, ...are you guys...really...real...? ...You aren't just an insane delusion I'm having inside that hell, ...right...? Right? ......Right......?

There was something in Lambdadelta's pleading expression that sent shivers down the spine.

It was probably more terrifying than any threatening words she could have used with even the most vile expression on her face......

[...]

BEATO: Battler-san, get ahold of yourself...! I'll think deeply upon it as well! I'll think of a trick to escape this room with all I've got...! I will come to save you...!!

BATTLER: B......Beato... ...Uuu...uuuwwaaaaaaaaaahhhh...... I'll definitely think of something...just waaaaaaaaaatch......

BERN: Well, regretfully, it's time for us to leave. We mustn't get in the way of his job any longer.

ERIKA: See you later, Battler-san. ......Or, like you'd say it, <see you again>, right? <Have a nice day>...*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*!

LAMBDA: .........Later, ......Battler. ......Good luck.

BEATO: Battler-san, don't give up...! You will certainly think of a trick! I'll think as well, and I'll come to save you!!

BATTLER: B, ......Beato.........?!

Before he could finish saying Beato's name, ......they had all disappeared.

[...]

BEATO: ......Battler-san, ......Battler-san!! Hang in there...hang in there...!!

BATTLER: ..................Can't......get out.........ggh...kk......

Beato called out to Battler repeatedly, shaking his shoulders hard, ......but by now, Battler's eyes were blank. ......The words didn't reach him...... Bernkastel and Erika had already left. The game was officially suspended until Battler could think of a new trick, ......but it was doubtful that it would be resumed even after a thousand years...or more...

LAMBDA: ......Okay, I'm heading off too. ......So long, you two.

BEATO: Th, there's no need to say 'so long'...! We'll...we'll think of a trick right away, and the game will resume! We won't take up your time...! So stay here a little longer...! Please...!!

LAMBDA: ......We've heard those same words from many witches in the past. ......And I've heard of hardly any who've actually managed to resume their games. ......As far as I know, the only two are me......and Bern.

BEATO: Why......why would a person who knows about that hell throw another person into it?! Just because you're bored? Is that all?!

LAMBDA: ............Yeah, that's all. ......It's to escape from boredom. ......Because when we get bored, ......we remember. We remember that hell. ......And, you know, ......by throwing someone else down into that hell, ......we realize that, oh, we're the ones on the throwing side, ......and that means we aren't in that hell ourselves. ......If we don't keep doing that, .........then the fear of that hell will overwhelm us...

BEATO: ......If you two managed to get out of it, then he certainly will! I will save him...!! I can say it with certainty......!!!

LAMBDA: With 'certainty'......? ......You swear with certainty before me, Lambdadelta, the Witch of Certainty...?

BEATO: Yes, with certainty...!!

LAMBDA: ..................Very well. I was the guardian for the former you anyways. ......Though the current you is different, ......I'll take care of you one last time. ......I'll give you a parting gift.

BEATO: And what......is that...?

LAMBDA: Hope. .........As long as you hold on to your 'certainty', your wishes will definitely come true.

BEATO: ............

LAMBDA: Are you listening? The old you was the Endless Witch Beatrice. ......You used to love detective novels that depicted impossible crimes, and you used those to make the claim that a witch existed, to make many people believe in magic...as one stage on your path to becoming a witch.

BEATO: ......Detective......novels...

LAMBDA: Yep. The old you was an avid reader. ......You loved detective novels, loved closed room murders......and were a super expert on impossible crimes. You searched for and found several closed room tricks, ......found the single most basic element to all of the tricks, and used that to form the core of your magical compendium. ......Didn't Battler tell you? ......He said that the old you would definitely have thought of a way out of this predicament. .........I agree with that. I guarantee it by the name of the Witch of Certainty, Lambdadelta. ......The old you would definitely have cleared up this closed room trick......

BEATO: ............!

LAMBDA: ......That's my parting gift to you. .........Goodbye. You've sworn to the Witch of Certainty that you will act with certainty. So I won't say farewell. ......'I'll see you again soon'.

BEATO: Y, ......yes. ......We'll see you again...soon......!

Lambdadelta vanished into thin air...... Then, in the smoking room of the witch......the two who had held the title of Endless Witch...were left behind. One had empty eyes. The other supported the first by his side.

......Ironically, ......it was the exact opposite...of how their relationship had been in the previous game......

Memory 39: white pawn (4/5 left): TrivPos: cultural festival (pettan pettan tsurupettan)
GIRL: No way, that's Jessie's boyfriend?! So cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!!

GIRL: She really had a boyfriend?! No way, seriously?!

GIRL: Jessica, you traitor!! Isn't that really awesome?!!

GIRL: He's younger?! I never heard he was younger?!

GIRL: Where where?! Where where where's Jessie's boyfriend?!

GIRL: She really does like young boys!!

JESSICA: He, h, h, h, hey! A, aren't you late, wahahahahaha!

KANON: ......I didn't know where the entrance was. I apologize for being late.

JESSICA: R, right, umm, ...that outfit suits you, doesn't it? Wahahahahahahaha...!!

KANON: ...Shannon, ...said normal clothes wouldn't do, ...yesterday, ...we bought this. It probably doesn't fit me...

JESSICA: Wa, wahahahahahahahahahahahaha, that's not true! Shannon, when I get back I'll promote you two leveeeeeeeels!!

KANON: .........This place is kinda filled with girls. It's uncomfortable.

JESSICA: Y, y, yeah, isn't it?! C, come on, let's not hang around here, let's go to the stage, alright? 'Cause it'll be my turn really soon! Come on come on come on!!

Jessica was just as uncomfortable. It looked like it was hard to be bathed in everyone's interested gazes.

...When he saw Jessica's appearance, Kanon thought that he might have made things difficult for her by coming.

KANON: ......I get the feeling that I'm getting in the way. Am I a burden?

JESSICA: I, I, I told you, no way!!

KANON: ...Please tell me at any time if I am in the way...

((Kya-, no wa--y, he calls himself 'boku'!!!!))

JESSICA: Ahiiiiiiiii, you, you, you aren't a burden, Kanon-kun!!

(((Kyaaaaaa, she calls her boyfriend 'kun'!!!)))

KANON: ......What should I do, Milady?

((((No waaaaay, she makes him call her Milady, like a butler omgomg!!))))

JESSICA: Nooooooooo, don't call me Milady todaaaaaaaaay!!

KANON: .........R, ...really? Understood, Jessica-sama.

(((((Kyaaaaa, she trained him to call her 'sama'!!)))))

JESSICA: S s s, sorry, Kanon-kun, just for three seconds, could you close your eyes...

((((((Hiiyaaaaaaa, kiss, it's a kiss, she's going to kiss him!!))))))

KANON: Th, ...then I'll close them.

*bang*, *thunk*! *bam*bam*, *slam*, *crash*!! ...When Kanon opened his eyes, for some reason, there was a horrible tragedy in the room. Everyone had been driven into the walls, their arms and legs outstretched. [...]

JESSICA: A, anyways, let's go over to the stage. Our turn is coming up soon, so wait in a seat for bit. 'Cause we have to get ready! If you go straight to the end here, there'll be a temporary stage, so you'll know where to go. Please wait there!

She pushed Kanon's back, as it looked like it would be hard for him to go by himself, and chased him out.

Even though Kanon was confused by Jessica's attitude and panic, which he had never seen before, he followed her instruction, and headed in the direction she had indicated.

[...]

When Kanon went down the corridor as Jessica had told him to, he ran into a temporary stage set up where the vending machines should have been.

It was probably being rented by the hour by some group or circle. Groups from the school where singing songs, but the place was already getting excited. Disliking that clatter, he approached a dark wall alone. ......So this is what they call high school. It sure is noisy. ...That's what Kanon thought. Then he remembered Jessica just now, acting in a way that he'd never seen before. ......Honestly, she was in such high spirits that alcohol might have been involved.

To him, the greatest virtue for people was to always be composed and intellectual. In that sense, it was very hard for Kanon to get used to the atmosphere in a school cultural festival. ...He had the responsibility to report everything he saw and heard to the Master. ...So he also had to report about how Jessica had acted without restraint earlier.

......At the very least, it was not fitting for the daughter of the Ushiromiya family. The Master, Krauss-sama, ...and especially Natsuhi-sama would probably be angry.

If I am to report it in a way that protects Milady, should I blame it on inappropriate school friends...?

KANON: .........What was that......is she an idiot?

Kanon thought back on how Jessica had acted earlier, and sighed again.

He could understand Natsuhi's headache a little now. ......Come to think of it, Natsuhi-sama, as the president of the PTA, should have gone to an informal gathering after attending the ceremony in the gymnasium. Hadn't she said that she wouldn't be there to see Milady's event? ......That was probably for the best.

KANON: .........Crowds are unpleasant. ...What in the world is going on?

Several female students keep glancing at me. It seems they're all whispering the same things that Milady's school friends had said, and it's really unpleasant. Come to think of it, didn't Shannon warn me?

......If you walk alone at something like a school festival, you better watch out because a lot of strange people will come and talk to you.

GIRL: H, hello~, are you by yourself?

Just as expected, a group of girls I've never met have started talking to me. Their gazes make it feel like my back is itching.

......Hadn't she talked about some magic words that could chase them off in times like this? ...Ummm.

KANON: ......I am sorry. I am with someone.

GIRL: Huh, ah, really...?! I, I'm sorry!

It's true. It worked immediately...

But, while they did retreat, it really hasn't changed the amount of people gazing at me.

GIRL: No, it's that kid, Jessie's boyfriend!!

GIRL: No way?! That kid is?!

GIRL: I can't believe it, I was sure he was fake!

GIRL: Isn't he cu-te, he's younger?! How nice!!

KANON: ............Haah.

...There's no way I'll ever come to a place like this again.

Kanon sighed for about the zillionth time today. When he did, the lighting changed, and the standing audience started cheering.

When he looked around, he realized that there were suddenly a large number of people here. And unlike earlier, they were all guys. With this huge crowd, he couldn't even see the stage. Fortunately, there was a fallen beer case nearby, and he tried using that as a footstool. When he did, he realized that there was now a new group on the stage. The leader is Milady. She's changed into stage clothes, and she's even holding a guitar. ......I didn't know she could play.

No, maybe she could play. I have seen her practicing air guitar before. Natsuhi-sama wouldn't approve of any hobbies outside of study. Maybe she was always practicing in secret.

...Come to think of it, recently, she's been returning really late from school, hasn't she? ...Maybe she was endeavoring to practice at school, when Natsuhi-sama wasn't looking. It really is for the best that Natsuhi-sama didn't come. ...If Natsuhi-sama found fault with Milady practicing the guitar, even though she had taken such great pains to do it, Milady would probably be dejected...

CROWD: Jessie-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

JESSICA: Everyone, thaaaaaaaaaanks for gathering here today!!

I can hear Jessica-sama's forceful voice through the speakers. ...Jessie-sama? Maybe that's her nickname at school. The students in the audience had kept calling out that name. ...I'm a little offended at this inferior name. It is inappropriate for Milady.

Jessica-sama was in great spirits as they kept calling her Jessie-sama.

...Everyone was probably a fan. Her mike performance responded to that and grew more excited. ...It was almost like a song program on TV.

............At first, he thought it was superficial, but that feeling had changed into appreciation. It was pretty incredible. Kanon had never listened to music of his own free will, but he had often heard the kind of music that the people of the Ushiromiya family liked. ...Since that was almost all classical music, Kanon had naturally started liking classical music too. ...So to Kanon, the song Jessica sang was, how should you say it, ............very highly colored. In any case, if Natsuhi-sama heard it, she would probably faint. But everyone looked like they were having a really good time.

The die-hard fans who had even brought pen-lights sang along, dancing crazily with the same movements, almost as though it had been planned ahead. On the stage, Jessica-sama also sang enthusiastically, dripping with sweat.

.........He couldn't find a single element that was appropriate for a daughter of the Ushiromiya family, ...but it looked like she was having a lot of fun.

CROWD: Jessie-samaaaaaaaa!! Jessiiiiie, Jessiiiiiiiiiiie!!!

JESSICA: Again, today, behind me, the sound of footsteps! Oyashiro-sama is stalking! Curses, disappearances, sacrifices, torture, Onikakushi, do you eat it?! Don't say Marisaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

...I must not go along with it, but... ......Anyways, Milady is full of life and looks like she's having a great time. As I looked at Milady having a great time, I thought. Isn't this Ushiromiya Jessica's true form?

...Don't I know best that during her life on Rokkenjima, she'd had no choice but to kill her sense of self? Then the time she spent, ...not as Milady, the successor to the Ushiromiya family, but as a single girl called Jessica, living life to the fullest, must have been very important to her.

...I worked close to Milady, saw her in all seasons, and I thought I knew everything about her. ...But that was only limited to one side of her, Milady of Rokkenjima. ......We are furniture. We serve on Rokkenjima, and end our lives on Rokkenjima.

...So I had come to think that Rokkenjima itself was our whole world, as though, like in Ptolemaic theory, the ocean spilled off the end of the world into an abyss.

But when I look at Milady like this, I realize that this is a horribly narrow outlook. ...I still can't go along with the excitement of the crowd. ...But I feel like I can see something that 'cannot be seen' on Rokkenjima.

.........I don't know if this is the unseeable thing Shannon was talking about...

But I still can't see the ocean as blue...

Memory 40: yarn (4/5 left): TrivPos: Battler breaking down :')
ROSA: Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa-san did?! What in the world does this mean?!

GEORGE: Aaah, Shannon! Thank goodness you're safe...! If something had happened to you, I...!

SHANNON: ......George-sama............uuuuu.........

ROSA: George-kun, be quiet for a second! A murder occurred before your very eyes, right?! Did you see the culprit?! Or not?!!

GOHDA: Th, ......that is, umm, ......how should I explain...?! G, Genji-san.

GENJI: ............Even we cannot explain what we saw very well.

GOHDA: It certainly, umm, ...happened right before our eyes! It was right in front of my eyes! However, ......that, umm, .........what was it... Even I do not understand!

ROSA: What are you saying?! It's impossible for you to have met anyone other than the witch, Beatrice, whose location has been unknown since yesterday, or Kanon-kun, who has gone missing! Was it a man or a woman?! You should be able to tell me at least that much, right?!

BATTLER: Rosa oba-san, calm down a bit...! Anyone would be confused if two people were taken out right in front of them! Gohda-san, Genji-san. There's no need to rush. Tell us what happened, one at a time.

GOHDA: ............About that, ......how should I say it......

ROSA: ........................

Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa-san had been killed. We understood that much.

...And it seemed that it had occurred in front of these people's eyes. But even so, they spoke awkwardly. They admitted that they had definitely seen the crime with their own eyes. But when asked to explain what they had seen, their mouths went suddenly shut.

I could understand why Rosa oba-san was irritated and flaring up...

GEORGE: ...Shannon. Did you see it? When Doctor Nanjo was attacked.

SHANNON: Y, .........yes.

GEORGE: Tell me. ...Just what you understand. What in the world happened?

SHANNON: ............Came, ...............to the back door.

GOHDA: ...Th, that's right. Someone came up to the back door. Then, wondering who it was, I opened the door...

ROSA: Someone at the back door? Who was it?!

BATTLER: Let them finish! And after that?!

GOHDA: .........That person was, ...stained with blood, and had a large wound. ...We carried that person to the servants' room, and Doctor Nanjo immediately began first aid. ......It was, a very deep wound.

ROSA: Like I said, who are you talking about?!

GOHDA: ...I don't know! Certainly, ...in the beginning, I thought that was it. No, I still think that! But, .........what in the world was that!! ...I don't know..., ...I don't know!!

In a manner that didn't match his large body, Gohda held his head and scratched at it... [...] Shannon looked the same way. If she let her guard down, what she had seen just a short while ago would quickly melt away like a daydream, and she wouldn't be able to remember what she saw. ......That's what she looked like.

Only Genji looked composed as usual.

...So the questions were naturally focused on Genji.

However, even Genji took quite some time before he opened his mouth, and had to gather his thoughts.

ROSA: Genji-san. You saw it, right? Who was the person that came in through the back door?!

GENJI: ............At first, ...I believed that person, was Kanon.

ROSA: You see!! He was alive after all! My reasoning was correct!!

GEORGE: .....By 'at first', you mean that your impression changed later, right......?

GENJI: Yes. .........I cannot explain with words what happened after that. ......He killed Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa, ......then disappeared. At that time, he was definitely not Kanon...

GOHDA: Yes! That's right! It's just as Genji-san says!! You really couldn't explain it with words!

GEORGE: ......Do you have the same opinion?

SHANNON: ...Yes............ I also, ......can only say the same thing......

BATTLER: ........................

[...]

Rosa oba-san, who decided that we wouldn't make any more progress even if we asked any more, concluded her questioning, and said that she wanted to check the two bodies.

[...]

ROSA: We will all go to the servants' room together. If we all move together, it'll be safe. Maria, stop playing with scribbles!

MARIA: Uu-. Not scribble-s. Solving Beatrice's proble-m. Uu-...

BATTLER: Beatrice's problem? What's that, tell me too.

GEORGE: ...Rosa oba-san. Are you, ...umm, bringing Maria-chan too?

It seemed that George-aniki was against the idea of bringing Maria to the bloody crime scene. ...But taking into consideration the fact that Maria would be left alone here, it would surely be much safer if we took Maria with us.

......In the end, it was just Aniki's irresponsible humanism. We decided that all of us, including Maria, would go to the servants' room. The bed in the servants' room was stained with bright-red blood. ...No, not just the bed.
The whole room was covered with a gruesome paint from countless blood stains.

That dreadful scene alone was enough to give us an idea of the repulsive sight they had been trying to describe...

MARIA: ......Uu-. Maria also loo-k!

GEORGE: Maria-chan, wait here with me.

George-aniki was standing by the entrance, covering Maria's eyes, with his back to the room.

......He probably didn't want to dirty an innocent girl's retinas with the repulsive blood in this room.

[...]

SHANNON: ............Huh......

GOHDA: Wh... where did they...!

Right after they entered the servants' room, Gohda-san and Shannon-chan trembled.

[...]

ROSA: What happened? What is it?

Rosa oba-san also shuddered, raised her gun high, and searched for whatever it was that had made them shudder. ......But she couldn't find it.

...It was only natural. ...They were trembling because they couldn't find it.

BATTLER: Hey, what in the world's going on...

GENJI: .........The two bodies, aren't here.

ROSA: What does this mean?

SHANNON: ......Th, that can't be...! Those two were definitely, here......!

BATTLER: ...Wait wait wait. What the hell, are you saying the corpses just walked off somewhere? That couldn't happen, right? I mean, wasn't the servants' room locked? Didn't you unlock the door when you came in just now, Gohda-san?!

???~*~*~*~

BATTLER: ......What does that mean? ...Isn't this the same as Jessica's room?! They've disappeared from inside a closed room again?! That's ridiculous!!

???~*~*~*~

GOHDA: I don't have a clue what happened either!! When we left this room, we definitely locked it, ......!! I don't have a clue what's going on anymore...!!

There was a timid and pitiful smile on Gohda-san's face that he definitely wouldn't have let show normally. Shannon was the same.

BATTLER: Two corpses disappeared! And furthermore, they disappeared while the door was locked! Even if Kanon-kun was the culprit, he shouldn't be holding a master key anymore!!

SHANNON: That's wrong...! Kanon-kun is not the culprit...!!

GEORGE: ......Shannon... I believe Shannon. Kanon-kun is not the culprit. This is definitely the work of someone who looks a lot like him.

ROSA: No. Kanon-kun did not have the master key. ......After all, his master key was found in the pocket of Jessica-chan's corpse. ...And, who took that key?

GEORGE: !! Th, that's right! It was Doctor Nanjo......!!

That's right. Certainly, at that time, Doctor Nanjo had searched Jessica's clothes and found the master key...! Then, if they'd had the opportunity to search Doctor Nanjo's corpse, it would have been easy to take the master key back... Rosa oba-san searched under the bed and in the locker.

~*~*~*~*~

...By now, I [Battler] also understood what that meant. If you assume that there were two culprits, it could be easily explained. The first person was Kanon-kun, or maybe an impostor that looked like him. He had finished off Doctor Nanjo and ran off somewhere.

The second person was, ......probably the 19th person, Beatrice, whose location was unknown. That person had hidden under the bed in the servants' room beforehand, and while Doctor Nanjo's body had been enshrined here, that person had waited for Genji-san and the rest to leave.

Then later, they had crawled out, taken the master key back from Doctor Nanjo's pocket, and carried the two corpses away for some reason.

If they had then locked the door with the master key, this closed room would be created.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*. You constructed that one pretty fast with your reasoning from Jessica's room as a premise. With that method, you could create a closed room even without magic. Should I give you passing marks? However, interestingly enough, .....there's something you must not forget, right? ...If the culprit had taken the master key back by the method you say, that culprit would have to know that Nanjo had taken the master key from Jessica's body.

BATTLER: ......You don't have to tell me that... You're probably trying to say that it's information only the people in that place, at that time, could know... ......Heh! This third closed room was crushed so fast that you can't do anything but say that sarcastically. There's no art in repeating the same content...

[...]

This person's trying to close in on me from two directions. On the one hand, there's the frontal attack, where she tries to force me to believe there's a witch using closed room tricks that only a witch could do.

......And on the other hand, there's the rear attack, where she tries to lure me into thinking it would be better if there was a witch by strengthening my suspicions of those close to me. In the first closed room, the chapel, she had used the frontal attack, but it hadn't worked on me. So by the second closed room, and now on the third closed room, she was definitely changing the direction of her attack...

However, the fact that she was changing the direction of her attack also proved that my resistance was working a little. ...And she had surely given up on the frontal attack because she clearly couldn't win with it...

.........I tried to force myself to accept my own position by thinking that. But it seemed that the witch had seen through these thoughts of mine long ago.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*. The frontal attack is not lacking. ...The rear attack only has meaning because it advances at the same time as the front attack. If I were to degenerate into only using the rear attack, it would be nothing more than a foolish plan occurring when my means became my goal.

BATTLER: ...Ihihi, really? Well then, won't you repeat 'someone was hiding in the servants' room' in that red you're so proud of?

BEATO: There is no need. The premise of your reasoning will be destroyed starting now.

BATTLER: Oh, oh?! You refuse?! So someone really is hiding?!

BEATO: Rosa will destroy your premise starting now. ...*cackle*cackle*! Well, let's try listening in.

~*~*~*~*~

GOHDA: Please believe us, Rosa-sama...!! The two corpses were certainly lying here! The bright-red blood on the floor is theirs...!!

Rosa oba-san began to search through various objects around the room, her back to Gohda-san as he cried out in supplication.

......Eventually, she found something, and for a while, stopped moving.

GOHDA: Rosa-sama, we definitely aren't lying...!! The two corpses were definitely here!!

ROSA: Be quiet. .........The person who hid the corpses is confessing that they took the corpses to another place. .........With this.

Rosa showed them a single sheet of paper over her shoulder.

BATTLER: What on Earth is that?! It couldn't be, ......a letter in a sealed envelope, just like in the chapel?!

ROSA: ......Yes, that's right. It was set here, out in the open. I'll read it.

'Everyone of the Ushiromiya family.
I wonder if you have finally reached a climax solving the epitaph's riddle for the gold.
The only way you all can stop me is by solving the riddle of the epitaph.

No matter which other methods you use, you won't be able to stop the ritual and me.
Take care that you don't mistake everyone's goal. I'm counting on you.


Even if you try to search for me, it's useless.
Even if you try to escape from me, it's useless.
Even if you try to deny me, that's also useless.

――Beatrice the Golden.'

ROSA: ......P.S. I borrowed two corpses for the ritual. I'll return them later, so please forgive me. ...Furthermore, since these keys belong to all of you, I'm returning them.

As Rosa read that aloud, the contents of the envelope lay exposed on the palm of her hand.

They were two master keys.

The master key that Nanjo had found in Jessica's pocket, which had originally been Kanon's, and Kumasawa's master key.

~*~*~*~*~

BATTLER: What did she saaaaaaay...... So what does that mean... Damn you, again?! You're saying I can only suspect the servants holding keys again?!

BEATO: I won't say it in red, alright...? I won't deny the possibility that after they locked the door and left, someone was hiding in this room, alright...? *cackle*cackle*cackle*!

BATTLER: ......If they were hiding under the bed, that doesn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't be able to carry the bodies away somewhere. But that way they couldn't lock the door! The master key they went to all that trouble to get their hands on was set down right here! ......That's right, I'd forgotten. What about the original key to this room, the 'keys to the servants' room'?!

BEATO: Hmm. Those are kept in the key box in the center of the servants' room. There are several keys to the servants' room, but all of those are inside the key box.

BATTLER: Which means that the situation hasn't changed at all since the time with the key to Jessica's room... It's not like the servants would walk around with an unnecessary key when they have those convenient master keys. I can accept that they're all kept in the key box...

BEATO: And nothing has changed in the other conditions. Entry or exit is impossible except for the single door and single window. Therefore, hidden doors and irregular methods of entry are denied. Be happy, famous detective. *cackle*!" And those were both locked. The door and the window do not permit any kind of entry or exit when they are locked. So it wouldn't work to remove the door and make a crack to slide in through or anything like that while the lock is still on. And obviously, it is impossible to unlock the door without a key to the servants' room or the master key. ...It's a pain having to read all these aloud every time. Sooner or later, I should think of a word to put this all together and abbreviate it.

BATTLER: But you can't repeat that someone was hiding in this room! ......However, that alone won't break open the door of a closed room... Aaah, damn it, damn it!! It's useless, it's useless, it's all useless...!

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*! What happened to that turning over the chessboard thing that you're so proud of...? Please, announce your boastful strange theory.

BATTLER: ............Turn over, the chessboard. ............What would I do if I were the culprit? I carry the corpses off somewhere. ......I leave a letter. .........I lock the door from the inside. ......Then I just have to escape this room by some means. .........Damn it, is that even possible?! I was told in red that you can't get outside except by the door or the window...! ...............ah- [...] Beato. ......Before I ask you to repeat anything, I want to check the definition of these hidden doors that you're talking about.

BEATO: What have you thought of? Very well, I'll explain. A hidden door refers to an entrance or exit that cannot be recognized by those who do not know of it. Even children know that.

BATTLER: ......So in other words, if you can't get outside the room with it, it isn't a hidden door?

BEATO: Hoh. .........Here it comes.

BATTLER: I kept thinking that it was something that let the culprit escape the closed room. ......That's wrong. Even the culprit couldn't escape the closed room! So the culprit decided to hide until we passed by! [...] I've finally started to see it. ......Eat this, Beato!! Repeat it! 'There is no one in this room other than us'! By us, I mean me, George-aniki, Maria, Rosa oba-san, Genji-san, Gohda-san, and Shannon-chan, alright?! What do you think?!! You can't say it, right?!

BEATO: .........Hoh...............hoh......!

BATTLER: I'll bet I hit you where it hurts!! If you refuse, then say you refuse, damn it!! Here comes the next one!! Repeat it!!

[...]

BEATO: No one exists in this room except all of you. 'All of you' refers to Battler, George, Maria, Rosa, Genji, Gohda, and Shannon.

BATTLER: ......Wha, ............

BEATO: Let's go back to Jessica's room. When Jessica's corpse was discovered, only Battler, George, Maria, Rosa, Genji, Gohda, Shannon, Kumasawa, and Nanjo were in Jessica's room. Whoops, the corpse of Jessica is also included. Therefore, both in the case of Jessica's room and the case in this servants' room, no humans exist that you were not aware of. No one is hiding. And I'll say more. No method exists by which the door can be locked from the outside without using a key. Regarding the window, no method exists by which it could somehow be locked from the outside. And let me also say this. You are incompetent! *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*, hi-hhihihhihihihihihihihihihihi!!

BATTLER: D, .........dumbaaaaass...... So, ........it's really, ......a closed room, isn't it............ I, ...it was so hard to think of, too. If you had been hiding..., that explanation would fit everything. Just when I thought I'd broken the trick, .........damn iiit... .........u, .........uooooooooooooooo ooooooohhh!!

[...]

BEATO: What's wrong, Ushiromiya Battleer? Weren't you so confident you could deny witches? Why are you groveling and wringing out bitter tears in a place like that? Yes, that's a really wonderful method. Truly wonderful how you tried to make me fall over laughing and drown in a sea from the tears of my own laughter. That's what you were really trying to do, right? You were trying to make me laugh and laugh and laugh myself to death, right, Ushiromiya
Battleeer???

BATTLER: Magic?! I'll definitely deny witches exist!! I definitely won't believe in you!! You used the power of magic, ......and bullied and killed everyone for fun? ......I definitely won't accept thaaaaaaaat!!

BEATO: Hey, Battler? Sorry for bullying you too much. I'll 'turn the chessboard over' from my side. I'll teach your side the best move in your place. Want to heeeeeaar??

BATTLER: Don't screw with me, I don't want to hear, I don't want to hear!!

BEATO: The case in Jessica's room. You really struck on a good spot, right...? Trying to hide and wait for you to pass by. That truly was a good observation. ...But why did you think that could only be Kanon or me, the 19th person......? I see, the 'hide' part of hide and wait for you to pass must have gotten in the way, so you didn't think that far. ...Loooook, now do you understand? It's Jessica. Jeeeessicaaaaaa!! [...] Jessica was also an accomplice. And Nanjo, who performed the autopsy, was also an accomplice. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle* *cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Then the third closed room was a faaaarce. [...] That's why I'm here...!! Come on, Ushiromiya Battler, kneel. Then swear your eternal loyalty and lick my shoes...!! If you accept me, all of the riddles will be resolved. With my power, any kind of closed room can be created or destroyed!! Battler, don't you want to abandon yourself to the joy of surrendering to one with poweeeer?? I'll make you my favorite furniture. I'll love you so much, and make you my toy until you turn to ashes... *cackle*cackle*cackle*hihihihihihihihihihihyahyahyahhahhahahaha-hhahahahhahhahhahhahhahhahha!!!

~*~*~*~*~

ROSA: .........Now, it's clear. There's no longer any reason to doubt.

GOHDA: Wha...? ......What, are you saying......?

ROSA: Those two that you kept saying were dead aren't here. ...And now we have the letter from Beatrice, where she was kind enough to confess that she carried the corpses off. ......That's what it is. I've had enough of this farce!!

As Rosa oba-san yelled this, she looked over at everyone with a harsh expression.

SHANNON: F, ......farce, you say, ......what do you mean...?!

ROSA: I said it in Jessica-chan's room. ......You can't trust anyone but yourself and those whose corpses have been found. And since we cannot find the corpses, there's no reason we should accept that those two were killed.

GEORGE: ......P, please wait, Rosa oba-san. What do you mean by that...?!

ROSA: Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa-san aren't dead, they're alive! They made it seem like they were killed, and are hiding somewhere in this mansion. So that they can attack us!!

GEORGE: How could you know that?! Are you saying that Gohda-san and the rest are lying?!

GOHDA: ......Rosa-sama!! I, Gohda, no, all of the Ushiromiya family servants! We all swear that nothing of the sort happened!!

ROSA: You all say that those two were killed. But since there are no corpses, there's no reason to believe that. There's a chance that you worked out a story beforehand, and that you're lying about that!! There's a good way to prove your innocence, isn't there? Find Doctor Nanjo's and Kumasawa-san's bodies!! If you can find them, then maybe I'll start listening to your story. But until you do, you cannot deny that you are all wolves!! You too! You too!! You were probably bought by that witch, your eyes blinded with gold!! Do you really want money that much?! That's right, isn't it?! You want to play around for the rest of your life?! What is that kind of life worth?!!

SHANNON: Rosa-sama...!! We, ......couldn't have!

ROSA: Be silent! And Shannon, don't get any closer!! I can't believe that you would repay a ten-year long debt of gratitude with betrayal!! I'll pull the trigger without mercy!!

SHANNON: How......, .........how could you, .........it's too......cruel......

GEORGE: ......R, Rosa oba-san!! That's horrible!! A murder occurred in this room! Then the culprit carried the corpses away! They are only honestly reporting that to us!!

SHANNON: .........Wha, ......Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Shannon had finally broken down in tears...

She had sacrificed 10 years to the Ushiromiya family. She had sacrificed 10 of the most brilliant years of her life.

.........And she had believed that she had built up a friendly relationship with Rosa.

...And this was how she was treated!! You could kill a person without using a knife... It wasn't just George-aniki, ...even I could recognize that Shannon-chan had been stabbed deep into her heart, as tears of blood flowed out...

GOHDA: Shannon-san, stay back.........Rosa-sama, it is true that I, Gohda, have not served for many years, and I understand that I have not earned your trust... ...However, ......could you not at least believe Shannon-san...?! She has sacrificed a full 10 years of service to the Ushiromiya family...! I'm not telling you to believe me...! At the very least, would you at least believe Shannon-san...?!!

[...]

Shannon-chan and Gohda-san were protesting their innocence, half-crying. Genji-san quietly stopped that.

GENJI: ............Stop. ...What Rosa-sama says is quite right. ...Until we find the corpses, we cannot prove that Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa are innocent. [...] ......Rosa-sama. We are furniture who work for the Ushiromiya family. ......Whether we are trusted by you or not, that is not our concern. No matter what assessment you give us, we will only continue to serve until our final hour.

ROSA: You really are a model servant. ...I truly understand why Father trusts you. It is truly heartrending that I must suspect even you.

GENJI: .....................

Genji-san stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a master key. ...Then he set it on a nearby table.

GENJI: ......I believe that I have been entrusted with this as a proof of trust. If that has been lost, I think it is only natural that I return it.

ROSA: .....................That's a good judgment. Those master keys are the greatest basis upon which you have been suspected several times today. It may seem elementary that letting go of those might clear away that suspicion, but, sorry, it won't.

GENJI: ............You two.

Genji-san looked at Gohda-san and Shannon-chan. ......The two of them nodded, and set their own master keys onto the table. Rosa oba-san lay the two master keys that had come out of the envelope on top. With that, all five master keys were gathered in this place.

In other words, this was proof that all of the servants' service until today had been negated, and even the final honor that they should have been permitted had been stripped from them...

ROSA: Maria, give me that handbag.

MARIA: ......Uu-! Give it ba-ck!!

Rosa oba-san snatched Maria's handbag, tossed the master keys in there, and pointed at one of them inside.

She was announcing that she had all of the master keys.

GEORGE: A, .........are you satisfied now, Rosa oba-san? ......Now, you are holding all of the master keys. ......Doesn't this satisfy you?!!

ROSA: Yes, I'm satisfied. Even if I can't trust anyone, I can at least trust myself! I've been able get the gun and all the master keys for myself! Now, I don't have to suspect anyone. You all are happy too, right? Now you don't have to be suspected anymore! Ahahahahahahahahaha, hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!

MARIA: .........Kiihihihihi.

At that time, Maria, who had looked like a spectator off by herself, sneered at her mother.

...Rosa oba-san reacted nervously to that laugh, and turned around.

MARIA: ......Keys don't have anything to do with this. ......Beatrice can open doors with magic. She doesn't need keys. ...It doesn't matter who has or doesn't have something like that. Kihihihihihihihihihihihihihi...!

ROSA: Don't I always tell you to stop laughing like that!! ......? Wha-t is it, Battler-kun?

...I had just cut between the two of them. ......No, that's not it.

...I was on my knees, and hugging Maria's head. ......I was, ......crying.

BATTLER: Just, ...stop it already, Rosa oba-san.........Maria was, right......

ROSA: ......Wh, ...what are you talking about......?

BATTLER: .........Maria... I'm sorry for, .........doubting. ......I'm sorry for, .........not believing.

MARIA: ............Battler.

BATTLER: It was all, ......the witch's doing.........The witch's, ......doing.........All that stuff about tricks and closed rooms didn't matter............It's just, it's just, ............that the witch Beatrice actually exists, .........and she's really a witch.........Because, I didn't believe that, ............it was this painful, .........this sad............

MARIA: .........Battler, ......believes in Beatrice......?

BATTLER: Yes...! I believe. ...Beatrice 'exists'. And she's a witch, who uses strange magic...!

MARIA: Battler......

Maria let go of my hand, ...and then she was the one holding my head.

MARIA: ......That's enough, Battler. ............Beatrice, 'existed'. ......Battler, really couldn't believe that, so couldn't see her. ............The witch 'exists'. 'Exists'. Will soon 'come'. .........Battler believed in Beato, so will surely be invited to the Golden Land. ......Very soon. ......It will be very soon. So there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. ............Not afraid, right? Always be together with Maria, hands joined, alright...? Let's solve the riddle of the epitaph together. Let's think about Beato's problem. .........Beato has been saying it from the beginning. She hasn't said anything other than let's play and solve the problem.

BATTLER: Right......, she did...... Searching for the culprit was just a waste of time.........If only we had, ......just believed in, ......the witch.........

After softly brushing my cheek as my tears kept dripping down, ......Maria kissed my forehead, as soft as a feather.

For just that instant, ......Maria's smile, which I had once thought was creepy, looked like an angel...

GENJI: We have returned the master keys, ...but our loyalty to the Ushiromiya family will not change. .........From now on, we will not enter the parlor without permission. Rosa-sama, please lock the parlor from the inside.

ROSA: ......You truly are an admirable person. When the typhoon passes, ......if the cries of the seagulls return to this island again, .........I wonder if we will be able to trust each other again.

GENJI: ......If you were to grant us your trust once again, there would be no greater pleasure.

ROSA: I see. ......We'll definitely be able to understand each other. ......When the seagulls cry.

GENJI: .........It would probably be better if we left this room as it is until the police come. Rosa-sama. If you would please lock it. ......We will return to the kitchen. If you need anything, please command us at any time.

ROSA: Thank you. ............If you are a wolf, how shamelessly you speak. ......And if you are a sheep, .........I'm sorry for throwing you into the cage of wolves.

GENJI: ......Furniture entrusts its fate to the family. ......If it comes to throwing away this life, if by that, Rosa-sama's trust could be regained, it would be a great honor.

ROSA: .....................I hope that you can remain healthy until the typhoon passes, if that is at all possible. This is all a rhapsody of blowing winds and pouring rain performed by the typhoon. ......When the performance ends, the curtain closes, ......and we will surely be able to grasp hands together again.

GENJI: ......When the seagulls, cry.

Rosa oba-san nodded in response...

Genji-san turned on his heels. He left the servants' room. Gohda-san's face was still streaked with tears, ......but as he had listened to Genji-san's words, maybe he had managed to sort out his heart.

......His face had been truly shameful, ......but it had returned to the face of the Gohda-san we knew well.

GOHDA: .........I will also be waiting in the kitchen. ......If you need anything, please command me at any time. .........If you wish for some warm food, I, Gohda, will have the very best prepared for you.

ROSA: ............Thank you. I can't wait for your breakfast tomorrow. ......And the boat will probably come by midday tomorrow. ...Thanks for everything up until now. Your cooking was my only pleasure on Rokkenjima.

GOHDA: ...Certainly. I, Gohda, will prepare a supreme breakfast. Please, look forward to tomorrow morning.

ROSA: Thank you. ............And Shannon-chan. Tomorrow morning, ...let's make up, drinking some delicious coffee. ......? George-kun?

GEORGE: ......I'm also, going with them.

SHANNON: ...It's alright, George-sama... Please, return to the parlor. There are no more master keys anymore. So if you are with Rosa-sama in the parlor, you won't be threatened by anyone.

ROSA: That's right. ...That's how things are. ...Objectively speaking, I think that being with me in the parlor would be the safest. ......But I won't force you to stay with us. George-kun, you may stay in any place you feel is safe. .........You are already an adult. It's up to you where and with whom you spend the time until tomorrow morning.

GEORGE: .........Yes. I will decide...who I'll spend the night with.

BATTLER: A, .........Aniki......

GEORGE: Battler-kun, stay with Rosa oba-san in the parlor. I'm sure that's safest. ......Compared to that, I think being outside the parlor isn't safe. ......So I can't leave her in a place like that alone.

BATTLER: ......It's, ......not like I suspect Shannon-chan and the other servants, ...no, anyone at all...... I don't want to suspect anyone... The inheritance? The gold? ...That's just stupid......There's no way people are killing each other over that......

GEORGE: Yes. I know better than anyone how pure your heart is, Battler-kun. ......No one will blame you. No one.

BATTLER: ..................Anikii...

MARIA: ...It's alright. Maria will protect Battler. ......If he's with Maria, even Beatrice can't lay a hand on him. Because even though Maria's small, she's a witch.

GEORGE: Yes. .........Maria-chan. I'm leaving Battler in your care. .........Alright, Shannon. Let's go.

SHANNON: Yes............Rosa-sama, if you would excuse me. If you have an order, please call me at any time.

ROSA: .........I'm sorry for saying something so cruel just now. .........I don't expect you to forgive me until tomorrow morning. But when tomorrow morning comes, let me apologize again.

SHANNON: Yes...............Thank you very much.

George-aniki and Shannon-chan left the servants' room together.

.........Now, only Maria, Rosa oba-san and I were left in this disgusting, bloodstained room. Until Genji-san disappeared, until Gohda-san disappeared, until George-aniki and Shannon-chan disappeared, we stood there, shocked...

After their presence and their footsteps had completely disappeared, Rosa oba-san giggled at them, as though she had just remembered something pleasant.

ROSA: .........You can't trust them at all. That furniture.

That one sentence, ......made me choke.

BATTLER: ...Wh, .........why are you, .........saying, ...something like that......?

ROSA: There are five master keys in all? Who would believe that? It's obvious that some duplicate keys exist. ......As if we could trust them just because they pulled keys out of their pockets...!!

BATTLER: Th, ......that's not true, right.........? B, ......by setting down those keys, ......they weren't just letting go of the keys... ......You've, ...made all their hard work count for nothing, disgraced it, trampled it, .........And in the end, you made them give up the keys...... What's with that parting line... They've shown that they're willing to go this far, and you still can't trust them?! Too much..., that's just too much......!

ROSA: It's a Devil's Proof! There are five master keys in all?! It's impossible to prove something like that!! You can show that there are five master keys by placing them here! But you can't prove that no more than five exist!! Only a demon or a witch could prove something like that, right?!

~*~*~*~*~

BATTLER: Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Stop it already stop it already...!! Please, Beatrice, show yourself right now, and tell Rosa oba-san in red that 'there are only five master keys'!! Please, for heaven's sake, this can only be proved by devils, a witch like you could prove it! Please, Beato, show yourself here and tell Rosa that those are all of the master keys, and that there's no need to suspect anyone anymore...!!!

BEATO: There are only five master keys. There are only five master keys. ...*cackle*, how's that? No matter how often I say it, it won't reach Rosa. Somehow, it seems that some people still Exist that deny me, so she can't hear, right? Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeeer???

BATTLER: I accept it!! I accept it, you exist you exist you definitely exist! So for heaven's sake, stop this already!! Stop it already! Stop it already!! Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

BEATO: Your words alone will not reach me, show it with your actions. Swear from your heart that you will become my furniture. Can you do it? Take off your clothes, be naked, then put your hands together and crawl on the ground. Clothing is proof of one's humanity. From now on, you will become furniture, so it's only natural that you will lose that right!! Then kneel, make your tongue crawl on my shoes. Can you do it? You can do it, riiiiiiiight?? When you do, I'll appear and say it in red! I'll tell Rosa that there are only five master keys!! Oh, but I understand, there's no way you would throw away your lordly pride. But that's alright, that's more than enough, you're starting to waver a bit, aren't you? For just an instant, you thought maybe it would be alright to lick my shoes, didn't you? And you immediately denied that and felt ashamed, riiiiight?? Just looking at that expression makes me feel just wooonderful!! That face of yours is so pathetic, go look in a mirror, you'll see how low you are, naked and licking my shoes, riiiiiiiiiight? Can you see it, Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer???

Memory 41: forget-me-not (3/4 left): TrivPos: setting a trap toy car
During those times, Beato sometimes played pranks on the adult relatives with Maria. But those pranks always had a touch of witch aesthetics.

Which was, .........that it was more interesting if it was uncertain.

One day, Maria onee-chan and Beato decided to use a wind-up minicar she had brought for a prank.

It was a popular toy at the time, and if you made the minicar back up, it would wind up the spring in the tires, and when you let go, it would race forwards. They had wound up that minicar and set it in the shadow of a milk jug.

......In other words, the prank was that, if you lifted the milk jug, the minicar would jump forwards and surprise whoever did it. Hoping that someone would get caught in this prank, Onee-chan and Beato had watched the adults from the shadows for their whole teatime.

They were looking forwards to seeing someone get caught by it, but no one moved the trap milk jug, and the trap ended on a misfire...... When Onee-chan had then muttered "We should have put it somewhere where they'd definitely get caught in it", Beato apparently said this:

"Traps where you don't know who will get caught, or even whether anyone will get caught at all, are more thrilling and interesting" is what she said.

......It's probably true that you wouldn't get this excitement from a trap that would certainly go off.

......This kind of description occurred in multiple places, making it possible to guess that the witch called Beatrice had a fickle character and loved a random thrill...... A fickle person is very hard to deal with.

Memory 42: cage/rose thaumatrope (4/5 left): TrivNeu: granting wishes
Very soon, it will be Tanabata. A familiar event, marked by the hanging of pieces of paper, with wishes written on them, on bamboo branches. It is not often that such wishes are granted, but sometimes, spirits and souls of the dead, or even demons and witches, will find the wishes by chance and grant them......

[...]

By the way, have you ever thought about who grants the wishes written on these pieces of paper...? There are a lot of theories, such as the Tanabata legend, or the countless ancient gods of Japan......, but in fact, all are wrong. What grants the wish is that which is closest to the person who wrote it. It can be the so-called guardian spirits or ancestors of the person. For those without a spiritual guardian such as that, it can be their parents or a close friend. And to Maria, the witch was even closer to her than her own mother. So, in Maria's dreams on the night of Tanabata, Beato accepted the wish that the girl had entrusted to that piece of paper, and read it.

BEATO: ......Maria, Maria. .........Can you hear my voice?

MARIA: .............Huh......? ...Oh, it's Beatrice...! Beatrice came to Maria in a dream...!

BEATO: Yes. Today, you hung a Tanabata wish on some bamboo, did you not? That wish has reached me. Therefore, I have come to you to grant that wish.

MARIA: Really?! Thanks, Beatrice!! Uu-uu-uu-!!

BEATO: Well then, about your wish. You wished that 'your mother would come home every day'......but is that really alright?

MARIA: Yes. That alone makes me happy.

BEATO: .........Hmmmm......

Beato crossed her arms and started mumbling. [...]

MARIA: ......Uu-. ......Is having Mama come back...a difficult wish to grant?

BEATO: No. To make it plain, it's as easy as pie. It's not anything difficult at all. But Maria, think carefully. ......Is just having Mama come home enough?

MARIA: .........?

BEATO: If I grant that wish with magic, then starting tomorrow, your mother will return home every day. ......However, even if she does come home, she won't necessarily be in a good mood, you see?

Rosa was the president of a small company. Things hadn't gone as planned yet, and every day was a precarious financial situation. She was desperately trying to expand her business by clinging on to any order she could get, and using that to bring in more requests little by little. If Rosa were to come home at a set time every day in this state, it would not end well.

In order for Rosa's company to achieve financial security overnight, she would have to make a wish herself, and make it clear exactly how and where the magic should be used. But even if the magic from Maria's wish might reach Rosa, it would not extend to Rosa's company. In short, the wish would be granted by Rosa suddenly losing her job, or else with the company being suddenly crushed, so that Rosa could be at home every day. That probably wasn't the wish Maria was hoping for. ......Because of this, Beato had come into Maria's dreams to ask what her true wish was.

BEATO: So Maria, let me hear your true wish. Your wish is not just that your mother comes home, right?

MARIA: ............No, just having Mama come home every day, ......isn't good enough.

BEATO: That's right. What comes after that...is what you truly wish for.

The desire for her Mama to come home was only the beginning of Maria's true wish. The wish she truly desired was something that must not remain abstract. Normally, if the ones granting the wish were mischievous, they would grant it no matter how abstract it was. But Beato was Maria's close friend, so she didn't play that kind of trick. ...Because she knew that Maria's true wish was something more.

BEATO: Mama will come home, and then...?

MARIA: Mama will always come home early, ......and make dinner with Maria.

BEATO: And then...?

MARIA: We'll have fun talking together, peeling potatoes, setting up dishes...

BEATO: And then...?

MARIA: Then, we'll watch TV together, laugh together at some funny show, and enjoy our meal. That will surely be fun. It will surely be happiness......

She didn't just want her mother to come home every day. The happiness painted in Maria's mind continued much longer after that... It was something wonderful even just to imagine. A meal that the two made together, and could enjoy together while chatting. Maria had never once asked to eat out. ......Just eating at the table with her mother was more than enough. Even though it only happened rarely, ......Maria wished for it to happen every day. The glimpse of that dream world made Beato laugh warmly. Maria wished for her to somehow grant that wish, but Beato simply giggled and spoke again.

BEATO: Is that enough...?

MARIA: Huh......?

BEATO: I do believe that this dream of yours includes more than just a happy dinner. ......That wish still needs more to it before I can listen to it. What you truly wish for surely continues much further, after having that fun meal.

MARIA: ........................

Of course. ......A fun meal between mother and daughter was only the beginning of a fun family lifestyle. I'll make tea for Mama. As we drink our delicious tea together, we'll watch TV. Then I'll heat up the bath, and we'll take a bath together. I'll even put in one of those bubble-filled bath bombs that Mama loves. Then we'll splash around having fun in the tub, and make even more bubbles. Then she'll kiss me goodnight, get things ready for tomorrow, and go to sleep.

......Then, the sun will rise, I'll wake up early, and wake Mama up when she oversleeps. Good morning, Sakutaro. Yeah, I know. I'll bring Mama something to drink. I'll bring her some chilled original blend vegetable juice in a chilled cup. If she drinks it right after waking up, she'll feel refreshed and smile.

I'll put bread in the toaster and cover it with rose-flavored jam. Then I'll wait for the morning paper and set it on Mama's chair. Alright, I'll be back soon, Sakutaro. After a morning like this, I'll be happy all day long at school. School is fun too, and everyone in the rabbit band is always happy as well. They really make a ruckus in my pocket.

So I'm sure that Mama will make lots of progress in work. So I'm sure that Mama will come home in a good mood. So I'm sure that we will always, always be happy...every day.

MARIA: ........................

I could hear a monotonous electronic sound buzzing, buzzing. It was the sound of my alarm clock. ......That's right. ......I was dreaming the whole time.

'I wish that Mama will come home every day'

A small piece of bamboo with that piece of paper hanging from it was beside my pillow. I wonder if that's why I had such a strange dream. ......Beatrice came from Rokkenjima, ......and clearly drew for me a world that I couldn't see at all before, at the time I wrote that wish down. ...A world where my desire for nothing more than that Mama would come home every day was expanded more and more, into infinity. No, that's not all. Until a second ago, I really was inside that world. I'm sure that, for just the smallest of moments, Beatrice granted my wish for me using her strange magic...... She had endlessly expanded my conservative and unambitious wish. After all, Beatrice is the Endless Witch. ......And, if the world she showed me was made by magic, ......then as a witch apprentice, I should be able to do it too. That happy dream, which was so faint that the alarm had drawn me away from it, I should be able to make into something real. As a witch apprentice, Maria knew how to make that magic a reality.

MARIA: ............Uu-. ......By believing.

Yes. By believing in magic, it gains power. So Maria strongly believed that it had not been a dream, but something that could be made into reality. ......What was the first thing I did on that happy morning? That's right. First, I'll wake Mama up. I'll bring her some vegetable juice in a chilled cup.

Maria jumped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. She wanted to let her mother know that this was the start of a happy morning, which would lead to a happy day and a happy tomorrow.

MARIA: Thank you, Beatrice. ......Thanks for making my Tanabata wish come true.

--The End.

~*~*~*~*~

BERN: ......What the heck? So in the end, Beato didn't grant any wish.

Bernkastel shrugged mockingly. Lambdadelta, who had been chuckling at how sweet the story had been, looked annoyed at this wet blanket response. Beatrice commented that Bern didn't understand.

BEATO: It's not like that. I weaved a fragment of the world Maria desired, and gave her the key which led to there. All that remained was for Maria to use that key and open the door.

BERN: Even if that were to make her happy, ......Maria herself was the one who made that wish come true, not you.

LAMBDA: You're as twisted as ever, I see, Bern. There's no way for a wish to be granted unless there is a strong desire for it to come true.

BERN: .........Humans with a will that strong will eventually grant that wish themselves, regardless of whether a witch grants it or not. There is no room for witches.

BEATO: I wouldn't even want to grant a weak-willed wish.

LAMBDA: Yeah, seriously. A certain future dwells within certain willpower. Our infatuation with the strength of that will leads us to just unconsciously lend our power, right?

BEATO: Yes, precisely. It wouldn't be interesting if the wish weren't bold enough to make us unconsciously want to lend our power.

LAMBDA: Bern, you take people's efforts and the strength of their wishes a little too lightly.

Beato and Lambda kept lamenting how much Bern didn't understand.

BERN: .........Oh? Then Lambda, how would you grant a wish? Have you also granted someone's wish on a Tanabata......?

BEATO: Hoh. What of you, Lady Lambdadelta? I imagine that one who is so often adored by humans such as yourself would be an expert at granting wishes.

LAMBDA: Me? I keep it simple. I just fairly and equally encourage everyone to give it their all.

Lambdadelta is the Witch of Certainty. She praises the willpower to certainly succeed until the very end. Despite possessing both innocence and cruelty, she also has a more tender side with regards to people's passion.

LAMBDA: The most common wishes I get are all stuff like 'I want to be super-rich', or 'I want to move on to higher things', or 'I want to solidify my current position'.

BEATO: Just now, you said that you fairly and equally encourage everyone, but do you really grant such impudent wishes for everyone...?

LAMBDA: Of course not. I avoid granting those wishes to everyone in equal measure. But in exchange, I watch over the children--those who don't slack off in their efforts until that wish is realized--also in equal measure.

Lambda will never smile upon humans who wish to 'become super-rich', but do nothing to work towards that goal. Also, she will never grant success to those who try only once to become super-rich. What Lambdadelta bestows is not the fulfillment of the wish, ......but the power needed to achieve it.

LAMBDA: The wish 'I want to be super-rich' can actually be granted for anyone, you see? Of course, after a fitting amount of effort. I guarantee the fruitfulness of those efforts.

BERN: .........However, you make no guarantees about the necessary amount of effort for that to be granted, right?

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*. I see. The fruits of labor will eventually be granted, but you make no promises about when that will be. You are quite a mean person.

LAMBDA: You think so? Just how much do you think the guarantee that it will eventually be granted without fail is worth? ......You know, I like people who work hard. I like people who throw away everything for that goal, and who are capable of abandoning themselves to that unending self-torment.

[...]

BEATO: Hmmm. So, that is the Magic of Certainty. A magnificent power that is in no way inferior to my own Endless Magic.

LAMBDA: Yeah right, it's way better...! You're rock. I'm paper!! Not only that, I'm super paper that's been twisted twice!

BERN: .........Twisted twice means that you're all wound up. ......Fits you perfectly.

LAMBDA: Doesn't it?! Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh-hoh!

With Lambda the only one who didn't get it, all three witches cackled together...

BEATO: Lady Bernkastel, are you not the witch who controls miracles? There must be as many humans who want you to grant a wish as there are stars in the sky.

LAMBDA: Well, they are miracles. ......Things that shouldn't be granted are granted. ...I imagine lowborns with double the normal ambition but a dislike of work would love that. But that's no good! Those filthy wishes are unfitting for someone as wonderful as you, Bern. Before you look at wishes of people like that, grant my wish first, Be~rn!!

BERN: .........You're suffocating me, let go. Miracles are called miracles because they don't happen. ......For me to doing something as easy-going as granting a wish would itself be a miracle.

BEATO: Human passions don't amount to much to witches...but it seems they don't amount to anything at all to you.

BERN: ......I don't want to hear that from someone whose name is known for her cruelty, like you.

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*cackle*, wahhahahahahahahaha! Not much I can say against that. I may have been too uncharacteristically soft.

LAMBDA: Well, you are really easy-going when it comes to Maria, Beato. You should spread that around to more people besides Maria. It's like sugar that's precipitated.

BERN: .........Completely. And not just Beato. You too, Lambda. You've been a bit too easy-going today. ......Dried plum goes better in tea than sugar does.

LAMBDA: Bern, it's not like Tanabata comes every day, right? Go and grant at least one wish.

BERN: No way.

With a fed up look on her face, Bern disappeared. In the process of living a thousand years, she had lost her human heart. ......She didn't like sweet or heart-warming stories. Beato laughed coldly, as though this was the way a witch was supposed to be. In her expression, no longer was there any of the warmth that had woven Maria's happiness......

Memory 43: golden stick (taken): TrivPos: tea party with Maria and Sakutarou
Black tea was arranged on a table in a peaceful garden, and Beato, Maria, and Sakutarou, who was sitting on Maria's lap, were having fun chatting...

BEATO: .........Hoh. I see, he is called Sakutarou. This is your best friend!

『Uryu... Nice to meet you, I'm Sakutarou...』

MARIA: Uu-, Sakutaro is shy so he's anxious. It's alright, Beatrice is also Maria's wonderful friend...!

『Uryu. Is Maria's friend, my friend...?』

MARIA: Yeah!

『Uryu. ......Then, I am Beatrice's friend too?』

MARIA: Yeah!

『Uryu-!』

BEATO: ......Maria, does something like this happen frequently for you in your everyday life?

MARIA: Uu-? What?

BEATO: Is breathing a spirit of magic into inorganic matter and giving it life like this, commonplace in your everyday life?

MARIA: ......Uu-. Sakutaro isn't inorganic matter, he's a lion cub.

『Uryu-!』

BEATO: Hmm............A stuffed animal makes for an excellent vessel. It is not uncommon for a spirit to be made to reside in them if they are spoken to by an innocent child that has no toxin.

According to Beatrice, every time a child plays with dolls, the dolls actually gain a will and converse with them, sometimes even moving by their own will. However, the power imbued into such a vessel is very weak because of this innocence. If even a tiny bit of the toxin from a human's common sense, which says that there's no way a doll can talk or move, gets involved, it instantly reverts to being a non-speaking doll......

BEATO: However, ......this Sakutarou stuffed animal of yours is different.

MARIA: Uu-! Sakutaro is a stuffed animal, but he isn't o-ne!

『Uryu-! Lion cu-b! Ga, ga, ......uryu-!』

MARIA: Sakutaro is a lion cub, but he's still a kid, so he can't say gao- sometimes. Uryuuryuuryu♪

『Uryuuryuuryu-!』

Gazing at Maria, who was playing around with Sakutaro by the table loaded with tea, Beatrice let out a sigh of admiration.

BEATO: .........How incredible. This Sakutarou, with a cloth and cotton vessel as a shell, has completely materialized into the human world. He has his own character, talks with the summoner freely, and even moves by his own will. ......And what should be the most surprising point is that Maria did not summon him with a name referring to a character from another world, but created him out of the sea of zero.

After that, Maria boasted to Beato that Sakutarou wasn't her only friend, but that when she went home, there would be plenty more of them.

It seemed that there were other similar stuffed animals and dolls, who like Sakutarou, could talk and move of their own will. It was something natural to Maria. It was natural for stuffed animals to talk, move, and become her friends of their own will.

......When she saw that Maria accepted this as something natural, as a witch, Beatrice felt a respect bordering on awe.

BEATO: ............Maria. Without a doubt, that power of yours is magic.

MARIA: It's magic......? Maria is still a witch apprentice, so can't use magic yet, right...?

BEATO: No, it is magic. .........Because you have not become aware of it and cannot use it, you are still an apprentice, ......but even so, what magical power it is! The materialization of your friend, Sakutarou is excellent proof of that.

MARIA: Materialization...?

BEATO: Hmm. In your case, it may even be fitting to call it creation. ......A piece of inorganic matter that would have no soul at all in another's hands will have a soul blown into it through your magic. Furthermore, that strong magical power lies in the human world. ......In this era so filled with the toxin that denies magic, summoning a magical power that can materialize a single life-form is not easy even for me.

It isn't hard to give birth to any number of soulless beings. However, giving birth to a being with a soul is very difficult. ...This is what Beato asserted.

MARIA: .........Don't really understand what you're saying, Beato. You're saying Sakutaro is amazing...?

BEATO: Both you and Sakutarou are wonderful. ......Worthy of praise. ...I see, apparently that which Kinzo most desired dwells most thickly in you.

MARIA: Don't have a clue why Beato is praising Maria so much. Ri~ght, Sakutaro?

『Uryu~!』

BEATO: ......What should be truly admired is not only that a soul has been made to reside in a stuffed animal. Even more significant is the fact that you have changed your own worldview. ......When it comes to giving birth to something from nothing, you stand out from the crowd. ......It is easy to make 100 from 1. However, giving birth to 1 from 0 is not easy. ...When you become a full witch, you may not only be a match for me, but might instead grow into a Great Witch that I must acknowledge as superior. The Witch of Origins, perhaps. .........I am really looking forward to your future.

MARIA: Uu-! Beato said Maria has talent as a wi~tch!

『Isn't that great, Maria?! Uryu, Beato..., thank you for praising Maria.』

BEATO: *cackle*cackle*! No need to thank me, Sakutarou. That red muffler truly suits you. And I am envious of the talent of your master which was able to give birth to a friend like you.

『Uryu~! Thanks for complimenting my muffler. This is a present I got from Maria. It's my favorite.』

BEATO: And its size is truly like a muffler that was created just for you. ......I see, I must also give my new friend some kind of present.

MARIA: Uu-? Beato is giving Sakutaro a present......?

BEATO: Of course, a gift from a witch must be something with magical power. In that case, so that he can be your friend for all time, and so that you can have even more fun playing with him...I shall give Sakutarou my magic power. With that, he should be able to materialize even more strongly.

MARIA: Uu-? Maria will be able to have much more fun playing with Sakutaro...? How's that?

『Uryu......? What could it be, Maria... Is it something scary......?』

MARIA: Don't worry. Beato won't do anything scary. Right, Beatri-ce?!

BEATO: Hmm. I believe you will like it. .........Well then, to make him materialize even more strongly, a stronger image will be necessary. .........Well, well, what to do. Hmmmmmmmmmm...

Beato crossed her arms and thought about what she could do to please them even more.

And over there, .........was the form of yet another witch. It was Beato's teacher, Virgilia. Virgilia truly was a Great Witch.

...Since Maria already thought of Beato as a Great Witch, this person Beato called a Great Witch must have been a Great Great Witch. According to Beato, she still didn't even rise up to this witch's feet when it came to magical power.

VIRGILIA: My, my. I thought I heard some cheery voices. What a fun tea party this seems to be...

BEATO: Oh, Teacher. Perfect timing. I want you to look at this lion cub. I hear he's Maria's new friend.

VIRGILIA: Ho ho ho. What a lovely lion-san. ......I wonder if he can greet me? Hello, nice to meet you...?

『U, uryu-! I, I'm Sakutarou.』

Sakutaro fell to Maria's lap, greeting Virgilia with half of his face poking out over the edge of the table. ...It seemed that he was very nervous since this was a witch that even Beato called Teacher.

VIRGILIA: Ho ho ho. What a lovely name. ......As a reward for giving such a good greeting, here's a sweet for you.

After waving her hands about, Virgilia held the palm of her hand upwards, as though she was lightly grabbing at the empty air.

Then, she held her fist out in front of Sakutaro. .........Then, when she opened her fist, there was one of those individually wrapped cough drops.

『Uryu-?! Maria, it's candy, awesome, awesome...!!』

MARIA: Uu-! Isn't that great, Sakutaro! Make sure to thank her.

『Uryu. Thank you very much for the candy. ...*gulp*.』

Even though Virgilia was a Great Great Witch, she still treated a stuffed animal like Sakutarou to an elegant greeting.

BEATO: Still, Teacher. Cough drops? Are you someone's granny or something...?! Can't you at least pull out some strawberry-milk candy~?

VIRGILIA: How mean. I won't give you candy anymore, alright?

BEATO: Kuhhyahhyahhya, sorry, sorry. .........Well then, Maria. Take out your grimoire. And, of course, your writing tools.

MARIA: Uu-? Yeah, take it out. What should Maria write?

VIRGILIA: ......Oh, what are you starting?

BEATO: I will use a magic I learned from you, Teacher. ......Magic to make a resident of another world materialize into a vessel. I think that by applying that, we may be able to further strengthen the power that makes this friend of Maria's materialize. ......I wanted to give that as a gift to Maria and her friend.

VIRGILIA: I see. ...For a being that has already materialized, it shouldn't be that difficult. That could become a wonderful gift. Well then, I shall help too, if only a little.

BEATO: It would be very reassuring if you would sign for this magic as a witness, Teacher...! Be glad, Maria. This will be a wonderful gift...!

『Uryu...? What's happening...? It isn't scary, is it? Is it...?』

MARIA: Don't know. But don't think it's scary. ......What could it be, Maria can't wait.

Beato borrowed the grimoire from Maria's handbag and majestically flipped through the pages. ......Then she found an empty page among the pages with magic circles drawn on them, and flattened it out.

Then, after gazing at Sakutarou with a grin, she suddenly started moving her pen. ......It was something like a written declaration made by witches to a high-order world. It was magic whose effect could be controlled if Beatrice wrote and Virgilia signed.

Maria didn't understand what Beato was writing at first, but partway through, she figured out the wonderful magic power of this document, and her eyes began to sparkle...

『Uryu?! Uryu?! What is it, Maria, what's she drawing?! Uryuuryu?!』

Sakutarou was on her lap, so he didn't know what was being written on the table. ......But even if he had seen, Sakutarou probably wouldn't have understood.

MARIA: Awesome, Sakutaro!! Wait a bit, almost done, almost done! Awesome Beato, awesome Beato!!

VIRGILIA: .........When it comes to writing documents of power, this child's talent is splendid. It seems you could even work as a secretary in the spirit world.

BEATO: How's this...?! It should be passable...!

After finishing her writing with an intense amount of concentration, Beato looked over the document again from a distance. ......It seemed she was fairly satisfied with her work.

And Maria, who was also peeking in at it, let out a cry of wonder.

MARIA: ......Awesome, Beato!! Cu-te!! Uu-uu-uu-!!

BEATO: By the name of the Golden Witch, Beatrice, I now acknowledge Sakutarou, MARIA's child. .........Teacher, if you would sign as a witness!

VIRGILIA: Yes, yes. ......By my name, I witness and acknowledge this oath. .........It is done.

Virgilia signed, completing the written declaration. It was a document with the power to proclaim to the beings of a higher world that Sakutarou had most certainly materialized in the human world.

Sakutarou, who had been created by Maria, was nominated by the two witches Beatrice and Virgilia, and just now, his existence had been acknowledged by the higher world. ......That itself was the great magic of materialization.

According to Beato, it was apparently quite fortunate that Virgilia was there. Because depending on the number and quality of witches that signed the proclamation to the higher world, the power that resided in it could change drastically.

Virgilia in particular had many friends in the higher world, so her signature gave the proclamation a power with which Beato's couldn't even compare.

VIRGILIA: By this proclamation, I accept you, Sakutarou, as an individual with his own ego. And following the contract of Mariage Sorciere, I welcome your existence as a friend. From now on, Sakutarou is our common friend.
And for that, I shall bestow upon you a fitting form as a gift. Accept it.

With the grimoire still opened to the page with the proclamation, she turned it around and handed it to Maria. Maria showed it to Sakutarou on her lap.

When Sakutarou beheld that proclamation, ............in his body made of cloth and cotton, he felt something hot and bright begin to dwell. Even as he looked around, nervous at this sensation that he had never felt before, that power strengthened, ......and eventually, a bright light completely swallowed him up...

『Uryu......? Uryuuryuuryuuryu......!』

Then, when that light disappeared...

..........There, Maria's friend Sakutarou held a new form and existed.

MARIA: Uu-uu-uu-! You're cute, Sakutaro! Re-ally cute!

『Uryu...? Uryu-... Does it really look good on me? It isn't embarrassing......?』

VIRGILIA: Ho ho ho ho. It is a very lovely form, Sakutarou-chan.

BEATO: I think the muffler adds some charm points. And the ears! Animal ears sure are nice, truly cute! Let me try some on later. *cackle*!

MARIA: Thank you, Beatri-ce!! Thank you very much for the wonderful present!!

BEATO: There is no need for thanks. This is out of respect for your wonderful magic and your friend. .........And, now that you have reached this level, it would not be odd for you to graduate from being an apprentice at any time. From now on, I shall instruct you on even more new and fun magic. ......From this point forward, you may call yourself MARIA, the Witch of Origins.

MARIA: What's the Witch of Origins...?

BEATO: Hmm. It is the title of a witch who seeks to become a Creator. Right now, you are just an Enchanter (a magician by nature) who has only enough strength to breathe magical power into the small objects around you. ......But after one thousand years of training, it is not unthinkable that you could use the magical compendium that resides inside your heart to create a galaxy.

VIRGILIA: ......The talent of the Witch of Origins is very rare. Even though everyone has it when they are young, no one can continue to hold onto it. ......This title is also proof that you have not lost your untainted heart.

MARIA: Uu-!! The Witch of Origins, awesome! Become it! Maria, the Apprentice Witch of Origi-ns!

SAKUTAROU: Maria, that's so awesome...! The Witch of Origins, awesome, awesome, uryu-!

BEATO: Eventually, you will probably be able to call yourself a full witch, Lady MARIA, the Witch of Origins. ......It may be a good time now to give not only Sakutarou, but you as well, an appearance fitting for your rank. ......This. I shall give a proper outfit for one who, while an apprentice, is worthy of using the title of a witch.

When Beato waved the pipe that was her cane, many gold butterflies that had appeared out of nowhere grouped around Maria, giving her a wonderful dress. It was certainly something fitting for the girl who would eventually take the name of the Witch of Origins, combining both cuteness and dignity...

MARIA: Awesome...!! Awesome awesome awesome awesome!! Cute cute! I want to show these western clothes to Mama too...!! Can't I?

BEATO: The full dress of a witch must not be shown indiscriminately. Such a thing is worth more if you act pompously. *cackle*!

Then, the Great Witch, the witch, the witch's apprentice, and their new friend, Sakutarou, enjoyed a lively tea party......

Memory 44: gold coin (8/8 left): TrivNeu: MAGIC BATTLE AGAINST VIRGILIA
It's an action packed battle scene that is on youtube so youtube will save me.

LOOK A PLAYLIST. IT PROBABLY WORKS. GO

Skill 10: servant skills

MEIDO SKILLS! These are all the skills she has from 10 years of being a servant to a rich family!! In addition to knowing how to obey orders and show deference, there's a looot of cleaning, setting the table properly for high-class meals, basic gardening, General Responsibility, etc. She doesn't know how to cook or prepare the food herself though, though she can do presentation/plating :B

Skill 11: playing pranks/tricking people

PRESTIDIGITATION! This is her ability to pull mundane magic tricks on people. Pulling small objects out of nowhere, concealing things, a stage magician's conficence and showmanship and so on and so forth! It's also a catchall for any other pranks she can pull that aren't really "magic tricks", like... hiding in a room and creeping people out without being discovered. BUT YAY! Perhaps she will try to keep candy on her at all times.