Chapter 65

After being shown to our respective rooms, Lirina came to summon us for dinner.

We took our seats in the dining room, and without much delay, everyone was present. All were seated except for Lirina and Rick.

“Please, help yourselves to the stew,” Rick said, serving a dish of chunky vegetables and meat simmered in goat’s milk. It was heavily seasoned with black pepper, and the aroma was incredibly appetizing.

“Hmm, looks delicious.”

Django sat there with a smile that made him look like a relaxed, good-natured old man, but I felt a sense of incongruity.

If Ray’s words were true, Django should actually be cornered. If the compass he used to brand me a criminal is truly a Holy Relic, Ray Colt—and by extension, the country of Pace—will crush him. If it isn’t, his reputation will hit rock bottom, he’ll lose his influence, and he’ll be attacked by me—or rather, the country of Shark.

Actually, could a man like him not have foreseen this when he accused me? Could someone that thoughtless really rise to become one of the Six Detectives?

“Please, everyone, please eat.”

Drinks were poured, and the meal began. Lirina and Rick stood by at the edge of the room.

“So, I expect an explanation of how you intend to handle this,” Ray said, his voice sharp before he had even touched his stew.

“I have no intention of making a unilateral proposal. I told you, I gathered this group so we could consult each other.”

“Absurd,” Bob spat. His plate was already empty; he must have eaten at a terrifying speed.

“Fine. Very well. Summon an Appraiser from Shark as well.”

Ray stated this matter-of-factly.

“Shark and Pace will conduct a joint appraisal of that compass. That should leave no room for complaint—not from Django, and not from the country of Isu.”

He glanced toward Hayanosin. The old man said nothing, silently bringing a spoonful of stew to his mouth.

“Heh. I wonder if the appraisal results of two different nations will actually match,” Hauser said with a thin, slightly provocative smile.

I could understand his sentiment. I didn’t think it would be as simple as Ray made it sound, either. In fact, Bob was currently glaring at Ray with a grim expression.

For Shark, admitting the item is a Holy Relic would lend credibility to the claim that I am a member of the Blue Wolves. It isn’t a simple matter of just cutting me loose, either. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m fairly well-known; I’ve become something of a figurehead for the judicial and investigative reforms centered in Shark.

“We don’t know the specifics of the compass’s rules,” Ray said, unmoved. “Depending on those rules, it is possible for the compass to be a Holy Relic while the accusation against Van remains incorrect.”

Ray directed his gaze toward me, Kirio, and Bob. In other words, he was offering a compromise—a way for us to settle this without everyone losing face.

“I’ll explain the detailed rules now. Once you hear them, you’ll see there’s no mistake: the person the compass points to is the murderer.”

Rose moved to close that loophole immediately. As members of Django’s faction, they had to push the narrative in that direction. It was quite a learning experience watching them work.

“Django, this ‘rule’ is something spoken only by you and your disciple. Why should we take it at face value?”

“I shall act as the guarantor.”

Hayanosin set down the wooden spoon he had been using.

“I have been involved with the investigation methods using Kijiitsu and the compass for a long time.”

“That is…” Ray faltered for a moment.

“Or is my word not enough of a guarantee?”

Ray finally went silent. It was unavoidable; he couldn’t very well tell a high-ranking noble of Isu that his word wasn’t trustworthy.

Still, why was Hayanosin protecting Django to this extent? What kind of connection did they have?

“Furthermore, even if it is determined that the compass is a Holy Relic, I will not permit any harm to come to Master Django in this place. I was invited here for a discussion; to do otherwise would be to spit in the face of Hayanosin Yazaki.”

For a second, Hayanosin’s gentle eyes seemed to flash with a cold light. Beside him, a brief surge of killing intent radiated from Watch, as if to pin the room down.

“Heh.”

Neitz responded with an overt aura of her own, letting out a dangerous chuckle.

“Stop it, Neitz,” Ray scolded her briefly.

“Hey, stop moving the conversation along on your own. Listen up—as a member of the Meijin family, I’ll be the one to guide this talk.”

I understood he wanted to take the initiative, but I was surprised by how blatantly Bob went for it—and by the sudden brag about his family name.

The sheer directness of his power grab caused everyone—Ray, Hayanosin, and Django included—to pause for a beat.

“First, explain the rules. If there are questions, answer them. After that, we will confirm once more whether Hayanosin Yazaki guarantees them. Is that settled?”

It was aggressive, but Bob’s proposal was actually quite constructive. It was much better than letting the talk stall. With no one voicing an objection, the discussion proceeded exactly as Bob dictated.

It was unexpected. In the end, Bob really was dominating the room—or at least, he left the impression that he held the upper hand. If he did that on purpose, he’s quite the powerhouse and a better tactician than I thought.

“The compass points to the person who killed its owner. To put it simply, that’s all there is to it.”

Django regained his composure and continued his explanation.

“First of all, that explanation is far too vague. I need you to define the terms ‘possession,’ ‘killed,’ and ‘killer,’” Ray pointed out.

Django gave a magnanimous nod and turned his gaze toward Rick. Receiving the signal, Rick gave a slight bow.

“Lirina, please wash the guests’ dishes.”

“Right away~”

With smooth, fluid movements, Lirina circled the table to collect the empty stew plates. In an instant, she had them all stacked in one hand and exited the dining room with a light step.

“That girl is truly just a maid. It’s best she doesn’t hear the details of this,” Django muttered.

“Your skepticism is justified,” he continued. “Let’s take them in order. First, the definition of the person ‘in possession.’ You can simply think of it as the person who is carrying the compass on their person. It can be in a pocket, or in a bag if they are carrying one. However, leaving it on a shelf at home won’t work. Apparently, it literally needs to be worn or carried. The compass only takes effect if the person is killed while it is on them.”

“Huh. Then what happens if they drop the compass on the ground right before they die?” Bob threw out a question.

“It fails,” Django answered immediately and flatly. “It seems the compass doesn’t recognize them as the possessor unless it is on their person at the moment of death.”

“You certainly investigated the cases thoroughly enough to know that,” Neitz whispered, sounding exasperated.

“We performed a variety of experiments regarding the compass,” Rose said in a calm—and therefore chilling—voice.

A compass that points to a killer; experiments to verify its rules. I didn’t even want to imagine what those entailed.

“Then, can I ask the next question?” Kirio timidly raised her hand.

“Go ahead,” Django replied with poise.

“What is the scope of ‘killed’ and ‘killer’? For instance, what if someone takes a life by accident without intending to kill, or what if they kill someone under orders? I imagine there are many different cases.”

“Ah, that’s where it gets interesting. In short, when the possessor dies, the compass’s power seems to be that it points to the human who perceives that ‘I killed them’ in relation to that death.”

“Huh?”

I was momentarily confused by the meaning, but I tried to follow. “Wait, so for example, in the case of an accident…”

“If they don’t think they killed the person, they won’t be pointed to,” Rose explained.

“Conversely, even regarding a death where they clearly have no responsibility, if they believe they killed the person, the compass will point to them.”

Rose’s explanation only made me more confused.

So, rather than judging what actually happened, the compass points to someone based on what they think?

“Then what if they killed someone following someone else’s instructions?” Neitz leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

“Since both the mastermind and the executioner recognize that they killed the person, the compass will point to both of them,” Django stroked his beard.

“How can it point to two people? It doesn’t have two needles,” Bob said with a pout, though his eyes were sparkling with interest.

“Simple. It points to the one who is closer.”

Django’s answer was indeed so simple it was almost anticlimactic.

“By the way, the compass will point to the killer regardless of whether they are dead or alive,” Rose added. “Even if they’ve been killed and dismembered, it points to the nearest body part. Though, if they’ve been ground into dust and scattered, the compass apparently can’t point to them anymore.”

Rose’s supplement, likely intended as a courtesy, seemed to send a shiver through not just me, but Neitz, Ray, Kirio, and Bob as well.

The facts themselves were horrifying, but thinking about what they had done to verify them was worse.

However, as I thought it through, a different kind of horror welled up inside me.

That meant…

If this explanation of the rules was the truth, then it was impossible for the compass to be pointing at me by mistake.

Since it won’t point to someone unless they have the awareness that they killed the person, then regardless of what tricks were used or what happened, the person pointed to must, in some form, have the self-awareness of being a killer. Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Before I knew it, everyone was stealing glances at me.

No… no, no. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not a killer.

I mean, how can I be pointed to if I don’t have the self-awareness of a killer?

Whether the compass is a Holy Relic or not, if it functions according to these rules, it feels like sufficient grounds for my accusation either way. Or, if it isn’t a Holy Relic, would the rules and their strictness be judged as doubtful?

Damn it, I can’t judge this for myself.

Realizing I was starting to panic, I did my best to maintain a calm exterior. For a detective, persuasiveness is everything. I had to play the part.

But as I thought about it more, I couldn’t help but feel that these rules had to be wrong.

Before long, I found myself staring straight at Hayanosin.

Noticing my gaze, the others all shifted their eyes toward Hayanosin as well.

“Right. Those rules just now—do you guarantee them?” Bob spoke up.

“Of course,” Hayanosin nodded without hesitation. “On the honor of the Yazaki family.”