Challenge To The Reader

Now then, I am sure you wise readers have already grasped the truth of this case, but I would like to take the liberty of issuing a challenge to you.

The challenge is simple. Specifically:

“Who killed her, and how?”

And:

“By what method will it be proven?”

I would like you to answer these two questions.

Naturally, all the clues have already appeared in the story thus far.

I sincerely hope you will provide a brilliant answer and solve the case.

To ensure this challenge remains fair, I have listed the premises for your deduction below:

-In this story, the protagonist, Van, is a “reliable narrator.” This means he is not hallucinating, he does not have a split personality, and he is not the culprit.

-The culprit is someone whose name appears in the character introduction list.

-In this story, none of the characters besides the culprit are intentionally lying.

-As the protagonist mentioned, there is currently no decisive evidence pointing to the culprit. Rather, the protagonist identified the culprit through a process of elimination—an idea that “this must be correct because no other possibility remains.”

-No advanced scientific technology that has not been described or mentioned in the story is used.

-The culprit does not use any special abilities or skills that have not been described or mentioned in the story.

-Unless described or mentioned otherwise, the physical laws of the story’s world follow those of the real world.

-Regarding the magic of this world, there are limitations as described or mentioned in the story; it is not omnipotent. Furthermore, the culprit does not possess extraordinary magical abilities that those at the top of the field—such as the protagonist, Merlin, or Leo—could not even imagine.

-You do not need to consider the motive.

-You do not need to consider the current location of the Princess’s head. This is because there is no material for deduction, and there are countless ways it could be hidden if one accounts for chance (for example, it might have been tossed into the forest and the knights simply haven’t found it yet). Even the protagonist does not have a definitive answer at this point.

-You may trust the testimony of the knights who investigated the ceremony hall and the cathedral after the incident, stating that “no gimmicks such as secret passages or hidden compartments were found.”

-There is no need to deduce the victim’s psychology in detail. The human heart is a mystery.