| Preface | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 2 Side Stories | Chapter 3 |
Week 3[]
| The story of Orion's adventures through Runo Continent ends here. The characters and details of the story got me thinking. | |
| So, what do you think, Mr. Inference? Have you found your answer? | |
| (D.M. shuts the sketchbook and questions me in a provocative tone.) The story is full of intriguing details, and the plot and characters prove Zinaida is indeed someone who weaves her life and experiences into her stories. For example, the halfling hunter hangs up a dead fox as decoration. And Zinaida would hang foxes in her room too, and it was to help her concentrate? (Everyone chuckles lightheartedly.) | |
| She was a free spirit. | |
| We know the Goodwins correspond to Aasimar and Deva. But from the story, we learn that Aasimar was secretly working for the Necromancer, and there was an exchange of potions between them. So, if we compare it with reality, are the Goodwins linked to D.M. in any other way? What does the potion represent in real life? Lastly, we have the Half-Elf Knight. The half-elf was the first to betray "me." Why would Zinaida give the half-elf an ending like that? (Ms. Goodwin coughs.) | |
| It's just a novel. Don't take it seriously. | |
| Of course. I'm just making guesses along the lines of the novel. Please don't mind me, Ms. Goodwin. (Suddenly, the strong winds blow open the window, and the portrait above the fireplace thuds against the ground, accompanied by the crisp sound of glass shattering.) (Pastor's gaze immediately shoots toward the fireplace. I curiously follow his gaze. It turns out that one of the tear catchers has fallen to the ground.) | |
| A tear catcher used for mourning the dead is broken. This is a bad omen. | |
| Mr. Inference, look... | |
| (I lean closer and smell a familiar chemical odor.) (It's very close in smell to the datura on the sketchbook.) Obviously, it didn't contain tears. It must be extremely caustic to corrode the fabric with just that drop. (Everyone cautiously takes a step back.) | |
| A tear catcher that isn't filled with tears. Did someone swap them? | |
| (For safety's sake, I put on a pair of gloves, cut off the piece of cloth, and place it in a vial I carry with me.) There were eight tear catchers from the memorial. Besides Lady Truth and I, those tear catchers should belong to everyone else present here. Pastor, you were the first to react just now. So, is this yours? | |
| It isn't mine... | |
| Oh? Then whose is it? | |
| I don't know... | |
| (He kisses the necklace on his chest and falls silent.) (Pastor's response is very short, and his gaze is quite evasive. I'm skeptical about his answer.) | |
| That tear catcher shattered at just the right time when I mentioned the Necromancer's potion. The potion in the novel was shattered too. | |
| (D.M. intentionally walks over to Zinaida's portrait.) | |
| Oh, Zinaida... All of this was destined, right? What are you trying to imply? | |
| (D.M's display makes me feel more certain that there's something strange about the tear catcher. And there are still unsolved mysteries in the novel. I decide to gather more information from everyone.) | |
| Ms. Goodwin, is this yours? | |
| No, it isn't my tear catcher. | |
| Who do you think it belongs to? Or did you see anything unusual earlier? | |
| (She shakes her head and seems rather flustered.) Such a coincidence makes me think that... Perhaps someone did so intentionally? And it's very likely that someone will point their finger at me. | |
| Oh? What makes you say so? | |
| Based on its smell, it should be some kind of drug, and it's very similar to the drug that I carry. | |
| (She removes the vial by her waist, opens it, and motions for me to smell it.) Is this datura? | |
| No, they are quite similar in smell, but you'll notice the difference if you smell it carefully. | |
| What drug is this? | |
| It's made from a special type of fern. This drug is of great significance to me as it once helped our hospital get through a special period. | |
| A special period? | |
| It was... the outbreak. During the outbreak, all our attempts failed, and so we had no choice but to adopt leech therapy. That was also the source of the controversy. I'm sure you know what happened after that. Zinaida used it as material in her novel, and our hospital was enveloped in a scandal. | |
| But you managed to control the outbreak, right? | |
| Indeed. It was a coincidence. A "special" doctor visited out hospital and introduced us to the experimental drug. He suggested we stop using leech therapy and use his drug instead. Fortunately, it was the correct decision. The children's condition improved, and the outbreak was brought under control. | |
| If they really are the same drug, wouldn't those highly corrosive properties affect the children? | |
| Mr. Inference, there's nothing to worry about. This drug isn't corrosive. There were some short-term side effects from this drug. The children became... very quiet. | |
| Quiet? What do you mean by quiet? | |
| Some drugs can cause drowsiness, but that may not necessarily be an adverse reaction. | |
| (She answers me ambiguously.) So, can I ask who that "special" doctor was? (I cannot avoid being reminded of Zinaida's novel. The Necromancer gave the potion to the Aasimar.) (Was there such a relationship between Ms. Goodwin and D.M? But how did Zinaida find out?) (She avoids answering again.) | |
| That question goes beyond the limits of my authority, but I do know very little about him. All I do know is he hails from a mysterious family, and it seems that family is closely linked to a type of fern. That's all I can tell you, and it's all I know. | |
| After the scandal at the children's hospital, did you still maintain contact with Zinaida? | |
| Let me stress this again — we ceased all contact with her. | |
| (Her tone suddenly becomes firm. I don't know if she's getting impatient or trying to hide something. She pauses for a moment and returns to her neutral attitude from before.) | |
| According to my knowledge, she had some other business to attend to. It was about her husband. | |
| The accident her husband was in? | |
| I didn't know what exactly happened at the time as I was focused on getting through the scandal, and so I also missed the tragedy occurred to her later on... | |
| (Her tone gradually eases, and she gazes at Zinaida's portrait.) | |
| Ms. Goodwin, may I ask which tear catcher is yours? | |
| (She picks up a vial with a scalpel pattern on it.) | |
| Zinaida was someone with her own ideals and principles. If I wasn't a doctor in the children's hospital at the center of the scandal and just an ordinary person, maybe I would have been on her side. Sometimes, it's impossible to get the best of both worlds. | |
| So, you feel regretful? (Amid her long pause, I got the answer I wanted.) Thank you for sharing. | |
| Hello, Mr. Goodwin. May I ask... | |
| Keep that thing away from me! | |
| (He seems rather upset, and he only eases up once I put the vial away.) I just want to know if this is your tear catcher. | |
| It isn't mine. | |
| Than let me ask you a different question. The decision to treat the infection with that drug in the end, was it yours? | |
| No... | |
| Then it was Ms. Goodwin. Did you ever consider that it may pose a risk to the children? | |
| I don't know... | |
| You don't know, or you didn't stop her? | |
| She didn't do anything wrong! Her decision was right! | |
| (It's obvious that he is very protective of her and will refuse to let anyone doubt her.) Then have you ever considered the risks your protection would bring her? | |
| Risks? Indeed... | |
| (He glances at his wife with concern. Elsa Goodwin takes his hand an comforts him with a nod. Only then does he relax.) | |
| Mr. Inference, Issac usually fully respects my decisions, so the hospital's management is my own personal choice and has nothing to do with him. If you wish to continue investigating the tear catchers, then I can tell you that this is Issac's tear catcher. Both of ours have the same pattern on them. | |
| (I notice the vial in his grasp, and it does have a scalpel pattern on it.) Alright, I had no ill intent. I hope you understand. | |
| It's your turn, Paranormal Detective. May I know if this is your vial? | |
| The shattered vial is obviously not mine. This is mine. | |
| (He produces an empty vial.) It's empty? | |
| Obviously, I'm not one for tears. And I don't know Zinaida. | |
| Who do you think it belongs to? | |
| Mr. Inference, have you noticed? The tear catcher was placed right below the portrait. If it was the wind that shook the portrait and broke the tear catcher, why do the others remain completely unharmed? | |
| (Paranormal Detective's words make me think. I walk over to the portrait, and I notice a broken cotton thread at the bottom of its back.) (Besides that, the other tear catchers are placed quite a distance from the edge of the fireplace, so they wouldn't be affected even if the portrait were to fall. Did someone deliberately tie the vial and portrait together? So when the portrait falls, the thread will break, and the vial will fall.) (I continue searching along the back of the portrait. Sure enough, I notice a long thread going all the way up to the ceiling and extending to the window, and the window isn't locked.) (Looks like it was intentional. But why did the person go to such lengths?) | |
| Have you discovered something new, Mr. Inference? | |
| Nothing special. (I decide against alarming them and continue observing their reaction.) | |
| Mr. Inference, have you found out who it belongs to? | |
| I've ruled out the people I've asked so far. | |
| Everyone has a reason to pretend when their self-interest is at stake. They will never admit it themselves. | |
| So, is this your tear catcher? (D.M. glances at me with ridicule.) | |
| Maybe you should ask the others. | |
| (He refuses to answer me, so I must find a way to make him talk.) Then let me ask you a different question. Why did you show me Zinaida's report before the game began? And you even did it so tactfully. Do you suspect someone here murdered Zinaida? | |
| You've finally asked the right question, Mr. Inference. I don't know what kind of pressure the police were faced with to make them close the case so hastily by ruling it a suicide, but according to the report, her cause of death was a type of drug. That drug is one of the projects I gave up on researching. But let me be clear, it was only ordinary experimental research. In the early stage of research, the structure of the drug remained unstable, and when consumed in large quantities, it may induce hallucinations and even kill the mice. Coincidentally, this drug has an almost identical smell to the datura that Zinaida often used to increase her concentration. If the two are placed together without any marks, then they're very easy for ordinary people to mix up. I would never allow a failed experiment to enter the market. So, Zinaida would never had the chance to get her hands on it. Unless... someone with access to it gave it to Zinaida. | |
| Do you suspect the people who handled the drug gave it to Zinaida? | |
| Mr. Inference, there's nothing to be surprised about. Ordinary people would never be able to gain access to it, but it's nothing surprising in medical trials. I supply raw materials to numerous pharmaceutical companies, and a drug like this is just one of them. | |
| So, even you don't know who handled the drugs that killed Zinaida? | |
| Only those closest to her know about her habits. | |
| You're one of the people close to Zinaida too. So could it be you? | |
| What do you think? | |
| (His eyes narrow as he awaits my answer with a spurious grin on his face. And I provoke him —) If the drug responsible for Zinaida's death is your drug, then I'm afraid the situation won't look very good for you, D.M. | |
| I can tell you right away that I didn't kill Zinaida. Nor do you have any proof to say otherwise. | |
| (He opens his palms and raises his hands as if telling me he's innocent.) | |
| Then allow me to tell you something else. The drug spilled on the ground here is the same failed drug from my research. | |
| Are you certain? | |
| I am. | |
| Did you do this on purpose? | |
| Aren't you a famous detective? You'll have to ask the vial for the answer. | |
| Miss Succubus, may I know if this vial belongs to you? | |
| Unfortunately, this tear catcher isn't mine. | |
| Unfortunately? | |
| Has its presence not flustered everyone? Although it's very interesting, I'm sorry to say that it doesn't belong to me. | |
| Who do you think it belongs to? | |
| Why does it have to be the living people here? | |
| Are you of the same mind as D.M? You too think Zinaida "arranged" for the vial to break? Miss Succubus, this isn't a novel. | |
| Perhaps that's a reminder she left for you. This is her second reminder to you. | |
| May I know what her first reminder was? | |
| It was in the novel, of course. Princess Lucia showed herself when Orion was about to return to Castle Umbra and warned him against doing so. | |
| I remember that scene. Is there a deeper meaning to it? | |
| It's more than just a reminder to you. It's a reminder to herself. A few years ago, Zinaida found my home while searching for creative material. At that time, she chose to live alone in order to escape her husband. Although she was far from the abuse, she was still in great pain. Pain doesn't just go away because the source of it has been cut off; it merely feels like it's alleviated. This made her seem quite interesting to me. | |
| Those are her private affairs, so how do you know about it? | |
| Did you think she was the only one taking inspiration from me? Unfortunately, interesting people and things never last long. In the end, I realize that she was the same as everyone else. She had nothing new besides the usual stuff. So I asked her to leave. Perhaps leaving like that was no different than being kicked out and humiliated. | |
| It was humiliating? | |
| I cut all ties with her and refused to meet her again. This went on until received a letter from her two years ago. She said that "those commendable and novel things" have occurred once more. | |
| What kind of things? | |
| She shared the good news of her husband's death with me. Although she seemed devastated in the obituary published in the papers, I know it was only done to maintain a good public image. She even told me that her husband's death may not be wholly an accident because she found a vial of drug while sorting through his belongings. | |
| (A drug again...) | |
| In the letter, she called the drug "Delphi," and it's made from a special fern. She surmised that Delphi might be responsible for her husband's death. | |
| "Delphi?" (I recall the Easter egg I discovered in the crossword puzzle. The word made from the points of intersection between the blocks was "Delphi.") Wait... You mentioned that this drug, Delphi, is made from a fern as well? | |
| Indeed. | |
| (The drug used to cure the infection in the children's hospital was made from a fern as well. Is this a coincidence?) | |
| She was certain of her judgment and was determined to search for clues on the drug. I tried to dissuade her in my reply. | |
| Why? | |
| At the end of the day, she didn't love her husband, so why bother investigating? She has nothing to prove to me anymore. | |
| After all, they are still husband and wife from the perspective of more people. | |
| But she isn't most people. | |
| Did you keep in touch after that letter? | |
| Not at all. | |
| (She quietly takes one of the remaining tear catchers and holds it in her grasp.) | |
| What a pity. Such an interesting person is gone. | |
| (Miss Succubus falls into deep thought.) | |
| Tuberose, did you drop this vial? | |
| Of course not. This is mine. | |
| (He gracefully raises a tear catcher and sniffs it at the tip of his nose.) | |
| Can you smell that? I was invited by the Count to investigate the datura which Zinaida is so fond of using, and now my hand is covered in the smell of datura. It's impossible to conceal the smell. You can try smelling the vial if you don't believe me. | |
| (The vial in her hand does smell of datura, and it's something the other vials don't have.) Alright, thank you. | |
| Sway, does the shattered vial belong to you? (She shakes her head.) Or did you see anything? (She shakes her head again.) | |
| Mr. Inference, why do you insist on finding the owner of that vial? | |
| It seems like a designed "accident." And the tear catcher is the connection between multiple cases. The drug that the Goodwins obtained from a doctor, the drug that Zinaida found while sorting through her husband's belonging, and the drug of D.M's failed research. These three drugs link to the infection in the children's hospital, the death of Zinaida's husband, and now, Zinaida's death. And the link between these three incidents is Zinaida. I think someone broke that tear catcher on purpose, and it was probably meant as a distraction to confuse us. I intend to uncover the secrets behind all of this. I already have a theory. Someone broke that tear catcher on purpose. Earlier, I found a cotton thread behind the portrait that was connected to the tear catcher. Perhaps it wasn't the wind but the portrait that made it fall. The tight thread between them broke, and so the tear catcher fell to the ground. (Lady Truth squats down to look for clues.) | |
| Found it! There really is a cotton thread on the ground. | |
| Was the tear catcher broken to draw our attention or confuse us? Or perhaps it was a form of deception instead? Why would no one here admit that it belongs to them? I think it might be because the drug in the tear catcher is linked to all of you. Now, all that's required is a process of elimination. Firstly, Ms. Goodwin. Please pass me the vial by your waist. The children's hospital used a special drug to treat the children's infection, and the drug in the tear catcher has a similar smell to it, but they are not one and the same. (Lady Truth takes a careful whiff of the two vials, and then she passes them to the Paranormal Detective, who is similarly interested. The others seem very against it, and some even cover their noses with a handkerchief.) The Goodwins have gone through a scandal once, so there's no need for them to expose their drug. I think the tear catcher doesn't belong to the Goodwins. Next, it's the Paranormal Detective. He merely wandered into Castle Zinaida, nor does he know Zinaida's name or anyone else here. So, he has even less of a reason to break the tear catcher and fool everyone. The same goes for Sway. She's a friend of mine who doesn't know Zinaida. She attended the memorial as a gesture of goodwill, but she has no reason to break the tear catcher. As for Miss Succubus, she had a short relationship with Zinaida in the past, but they lost contact after Zinaida's husband passed away. I don't think Miss Succubus has enough motive. Two of the people in this room have touched Zinaida's datura — one of them is me, and the other is Tuberose. And the tear catcher with the smell of datura belongs to him, so we can rule out Tuberose as well. Now that six people have been ruled out, only two who failed to provide a proper reason remain, Pastor and D.M. | |
| You truly deserve to be known as a famous detective. | |
| Then let's narrow it down even more. There's something else everyone here is unaware of. D.M. showed me something special before the game began — Zinaida's autopsy report. According to the report, the cause of death was a special drug. When I questioned D.M. earlier, he had already identified the drug on the ground as the drug from a failed research project in the past. I would like to question you again now. D.M, please answer me truthfully. Are you certain that the drug in the shattered tear catcher is the drug from your failed research project? | |
| How could I not recognize something that I researched? Based on its distinct smell and viscosity, I'm practically certain. Didn't you preserve the remnants of the drug in a vial? If you have doubts, you're free to use my laboratory. A quick test would tell us if I'm telling the truth, wouldn't it? | |
| (D.M. is very candid.) Alright. Earlier, you mentioned that the drug from your failed research project might induce hallucinations and even cause death, correct? | |
| Indeed. | |
| And according to the autopsy report, the deceased had bilateral pupil constriction, which led to the conclusion that the cause of death was a type of drug. So, does that mean the drug responsible for Zinaida's death had hallucinogenic properties which caused the pupil to constrict? | |
| Hmm... that is plausible. | |
| (D.M. crosses his arms before his chest and seems to be waiting for me to say the obvious answer.) When the drug spilled on the rug earlier, while I couldn't tell what kind of liquid it was, the first thing that struck me was its smell. It smells very much like datura. On this point, Ms. Goodwin was of the same mind during our prior conversation. | |
| Yes, they do smell alike, and you'll only notice the difference upon distinguishing them carefully. Of course, it belongs to the professional field, so it's understandable for most to be unable to differentiate them. | |
| Think about it, if this drug was placed with datura, would an ordinary person like Zinaida be able to distinguish them? | |
| I've got it! Mr. Inference, you're trying to say that someone switched the datura Zinaida used to maintain her focus with the drug, and Zinaida, who was busy writing, never had the thought or professional skill to distinguish if a daily item like that had been tampered with, and that's why she unknowingly consumed it and passed away? | |
| (I nod and add my thoughts.) But that is merely a theory of mine. All we must do is take Zinaida's sketchbook to the lab and compare it against the drug's remnants to verify my inference. If she consumed the drug, she would have left traces of it on her sketchbook. (Suddenly, Pastor bumps into a chair.) "Only those closest to her know about her habits." D.M. voluntarily disclosed this to me during our conversation. I'm inclined to believe the tear catcher does not belong to him. He has no reason to fill it with his own drug and direct suspicion to himself. Then there's only one answer... (I point my finger at Pastor.) | |
| Mr. Inference, if Pastor's tear catcher contained the drug that killed Zinaida, then what would that mean? | |
| We'll have to ask the person who broke the tear catcher. (I glance at D.M.) The tear catcher was broken on purpose, and everyone's tear catcher was handled by a single person and placed beneath the portrait. And I think he recognized the drug from the moment Pastor handed the tear catcher to him — he's just that confident with the drugs of his experiments. That person is D.M. | |
| Alright, fine. It seems I have no choice but to admit it now. I admit that I broke the tear catcher. I've heard of a psychological condition where the murderer exposes the murder weapon to achieve some kind of gratification. The smell of that drug is truly too familiar to me. Even until the moment I gathered all the vials and placed them on the fireplace, I still couldn't believe you had the guts to do that, Pastor. So, I immediately took out your vial from the rest of when the electricity tripped. Because I really couldn't wait to see the look on your face when the murder weapon is exposed like this. | |
| (The room falls absolutely silent again. Only the pattering of the rain outside remains.) | |
| You're wrong... I didn't do it for gratification... | |
| (Pastor hides in the shadows at the corner, concealing his expression from us. However, this scene feels absolutely familiar to me — at the end of the novel, Erwin lurked in the shadows of Castle Umbra as well, and it was the moments he emerged from the shadows that Orion realized Erwin had betrayed him.) | |
| I placed the drug in that tear catcher because I hoped it would seal my sin forever... And when I return to the kingdom of God, I will be able to cleanse my sins... | |
| (He kisses the necklace on his chest again.) | |
| Please forgive me, Zinaida... Zinaida's husband was my uncle. The Count has told you all about it... I've been sick since I was a child... | |
| (He covers his face with his hands and then quickly covers his arm. But no matter how he tries to hide it, it's impossible to hide the patches of pale skin.) | |
| I was born with this... But he shouldn't have been so mean about something that is beyond a person's control. He kept calling me an impure and unclean bastard... | |
| (He clenches his fist tightly.) | |
| So, that night, I followed my uncle and sneaked into his lab, then I put on a pair of rubber gloves and electrocuted him to death with his equipment in the lab... He deserved it... He should feel my pain... Later on, I met Zinaida, and only then did I find out that I wasn't the only one in the world who suffered my uncle's torment. But when I met her in person, I panicked... Because I was afraid that she visited me with ulterior motives. What if she had evidence? I grew even more afraid... I'm afraid that she would find out I killed my uncle and publicize it... A clergyman killed someone out of hatred. What a joke. And it would only grow worse with time... And she stopped coming to church at that time. I couldn't stop myself from thinking in that direction, and the more it appeared in my mind, the louder the mocking got... These thoughts tormented me until I decided to visit her. She fully trusted me and even thought I was concerned about her. She was busy writing during that time. Once I found out about her habits, I switched her datura, and you know the rest. | |
| (His voice grows softer while the pattering of the rain against the window grows louder.) | |
| You killed Zinaida just because you suspected she might know that you killed her husband? Not to mention that even if she found out, you should have turned yourself in instead of harming that family again! | |
| ...I'm sorry! | |
| (Lady Truth is furious. Meanwhile, Sway steps forward.) | |
| It's just an excuse you made for yourself. As I said before, according to the file on Zinaida's husband, a lethal dose of a drug was found in the body of the deceased. I withheld the facts of the case due to professional ethics considerations. Now, out of personal ethics, I think I should tell you about it, Pastor. In fact, judging by the time the drug was in his system, he'd probably consumed it before you even "killed" him. | |
| So... He was dead before you even attempted to murder him. And now, that "misunderstanding" has taken Zinaida's life as well... You called her a good friend, yet you were so cruel to her. | |
| (Pastor falls to ground, sinks his head into his hands, and seems to be in great pain. A while passes before he sobs.) | |
| It's not that I felt no regret. I have strayed from the will of God... I'm sorry, Zinaida, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... | |
| (He closes his eyes and keeps saying that he's sorry.) | |
| It's the end for you now. I don't know whether your god will forgive you, but I know the law will not. Come with me, Pastor. Mr. Inference, please take the remnants of the drug and sketchbook with you for further investigation. The drug residue on the sketchbook is the best form of proof. | |
| Lady Truth? (I was about to ask Lady Truth for the sketchbook when I noticed her lost in though with the sketchbook in her arms.) | |
| Mr. Inference... | |
| Yes? What is it? | |
| I unintentionally flipped to the last page earlier, and I found a handwritten draft written by Zinaida. It's a different ending that we overlooked. Amid the sound of breaking bones, the Necromancer collapses. The flames of evil are gradually extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke behind. After Erwin defeats the Necromancer, he finally arrived below the World Tree. The wind whistles through the valley and makes his bloodstained clothes flutter. "You are without enemies now, child." The voice seems to come from the depths of the valley, and it echoes over and over again through the valley. Is the World Tree calling out to him? | |
| (Pastor struggles free of Sway and pounces at the sketchbook.) (His back trembles violently as he carefully picks up the page.) | |
| Erwin couldn't help but wonder. Is this the World Tree's response to him? But at that moment, he feels a huge surge of energy pours into him, yet he feels extremely light, like his entire body is wrapped within a soft leaf. When he flies past the top of the World Tree, he sees a flower bud growing from the withering leaves. Erwin finally understands that the world has been restored to its original order, just as he once believed. | |
| (Everyone falls silent upon reading this ending to the story. Meanwhile, tears roll down Pastor's cheeks and drop down onto the draft.) (The page spontaneously combusts when coming into contact with the tears, and even the sketchbook catches fire.) (Elsa Goodwin manages to get a pot of water and extinguishes the fire.) (Nothing but burnt marks remain on the wooden floor.) | |
| Perhaps this is also part of Zinaida's plan. It's getting more and more interesting... | |
| (I squat down, take a swab of the ash with my finger, and smell it carefully.) I smell a chemical. The sketchbook must have been specially treated. | |
| Zinaida even planned out the ending for all of us. She wishes to give Pastor another chance, doesn't she? | |
| (Lady Truth and I feel a sense of melancholy.) | |
| Mr. Inference, the only piece of evidence is gone now. It seems you've lost. | |
| Pastor, you still have to come with me to make a statement at the police station. | |
| (Pastor struggles to get himself to his feet.) | |
| I will go with you... | |
| Wait, I have a question for you before I go, Mr. Inference. If you were Zinaida, which one of these two endings for Erwin would you have preferred? One is a traitor who chose to let the world burn, and the other is a savior who chose to let the world be reborn. | |
| But I'm not Zinaida. I can only represent myself, and I don't like either of these endings. Evil should be punished according to the law. So, I dislike the first ending. Not even the most beautiful vision can make up for a person's wrongdoing. So, I dislike the second ending as well. | |
| Then do you like the ending here in Castle Zinaida? | |
| (I gaze at the ridiculous pile of ashes and then glance at Pastor's dejected figure.) In the past, I wouldn't hesitate to say that only justice and punishment can change a person's nature. But now, I may have doubts about what I used to believe in. | |
| Oh? Then what do you think is capable of changing a person's nature? | |
| For me, it's... remorse. | |
| End of Chapter | |
