Chapter 107: Something That Was Missed

  "Alright, boy. Spill it," Tanvir grumbled from his seat, his arms crossed over his barrel chest. His voice was a low, impatient rumble that echoed in the high-ceilinged throne room. "Why have you gathered us all here?"

  The circular table in the center of the hall was once again the focal point of a tense gathering. Tanvir, Zhu Lihua, Yukari, Malik, Samira, King Ahmed, Bob, and Mila sat around it, their faces etched with varying degrees of exhaustion, curiosity, and grief.

  Standing before a large chalkboard, freshly napped and inexplicably wearing his full Shilook Huang cosplay again, was Raito. He adjusted his deerstalker hat, looking revitalized and brimming with a manic, detective energy.

  "Did you find anything, young Raito?" King Ahmed asked, leaning forward. He looked disheveled, his royal robes slightly askew, the weight of the recent tragedies heavy on his shoulders. "Anything to help the investigation would be greatly appreciated. We need to end this horror as soon as possible."

  "Right!" Raito clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and echoing. He began to pace back and forth in front of the chalkboard, his cape swishing with each turn. "First of all, sorry, Your Majesty, but I still don't have enough clues to pinpoint our exact culprit."

  A collective sigh of disappointment rippled around the table, but Raito held up a hand.

  "However!" he declared, his voice dropping to a dramatic register. "I gathered all of you here because I know you are all trustworthy. And to catch you up on everything me and the gang found yesterday."

  He grabbed the edge of the chalkboard and, with a theatrical flourish, flipped it over.

  Pinned to the other side was a chaotic web of pictures, notes, and red string connecting them all.

  "Behold!" Raito announced, sweeping his arm wide. "Our evidence board so far!"

  He tapped a picture of the ruined museum with his unlit pipe. "Let's start with the chain of events. First, obviously, the museum fire. We don't know the main motive yet, but the timing was impeccable. It was the perfect opportunity to hit two birds with one stone."

  He pointed to sketches of the scrolls and the royal family. "All the information on Zarateph's new discovery—the historical archive—gone. And two members of the royal family, plus the soon-to-be son-in-law, were inside. This is too much of a coincidence to not be planned."

  Raito moved down the board, tapping a crude drawing of a crystal. "Then, we know the source of that fire. It was this device."

  He pointed to the next picture—a sketch of the translucent crystal they had found. "A makeshift battery. A device recently created in Volnear that is still very rare. It absorbs elemental energy and then releases it using certain triggers, like how Jinlun is starting to use it to light their lampposts."

  He turned to the group, his eyes serious beneath the brim of his hat. "Yet our culprit has access to this rare and new technology. And is someone capable enough to either make it themselves or modify it."

  He moved to a diagram of the museum's floor plan. "We also found out where the fire was released from. We found a hole near the corner of the basement study, painted with black ink to hide it from being seen." He traced a line from the basement to the floor above. "It leads directly to the janitor's closet... where we found the crystal battery in the first place."

  "So you're saying the culprit must have been to Volnear sometime in their life?" the King thought aloud, stroking his beard.

  "Yes, at least that is what I thought in the first place," Raito nodded. "That is why me and the gang tried to question those who have, in records, been to Volnear first."

  He gestured to a list of names pinned to the board. "Ms. Zayna, Mr. Mahir, Mr. Mirash, Dr. Kadiem, and Dr. Nezhat."

  He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Unfortunately, while they have admitted that they have been to Volnear, they were nowhere near close enough to the time of the battery's development. Nor were they high ranking enough there to be close with its inventor, Dr. Wilburt."

  He looked up, his expression darkening. "Not to mention... just being in Volnear does not explain the behavior of the fire in the first place."

  "And how did the fire behave?" the King asked, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

  "I think Lady Lihua is better to explain this than me," Raito said, gesturing to the silent woman. "Please, Lady Lihua."

  "There is no choice," Zhu sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room. She stood up, her presence commanding attention even without her usual armor.

  "The fire," she began, her voice low and serious. "It is something else. It is not natural. It is almost alive... but not, at the same time. It feels odd."

  She looked at her hands, flexing her fingers. "Being the Blaze Lord allowed me to have authority over the fire elemental energy itself. But that fire... it did not heed my command."

  A chill ran through the room.

  "And the intensity with which it burned," she continued, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the council. "You need Lord-level power to be able to collect that amount of elemental energy. A normal person with a Core might be able to fill up that battery to make use of it as a campfire starter."

  She paused, her eyes narrowing. "But as we know, the fire was strong enough to burn the museum building itself." She sat back down, the weight of her words lingering.

  "And the museum is not made of something cheap," Tanvir added gruffly, leaning forward. "It is high-quality ironwood. Reinforced. Fire-resistant."

  The King's expression turned somber, his face paling slightly. He leaned back in his throne, looking suddenly older.

  "A Lord-level threat... here?" he commented, his voice barely a whisper. He placed a hand over his chest. "My heart can't take much more of this."

  "Also," Raito interjected, pulling the attention back to the board. "All five of the people we questioned did not have any strong reaction to the word 'resin'."

  "Resin?" the King asked, confused.

  "Yeah, why resin?" Samira chimed in, tilting her head. "That is what I wanted to ask yesterday."

  "Because resin is translucent and has a similar feel to the crystal battery we found," Raito explained, holding up his hands as if shaping the object. "I figured if we could ask something about resin to them, and they had a strong reaction—a flinch, a pause—they might unconsciously relate that word to the crystal battery they used."

  "Now that makes sense," Samira commented, nodding slowly.

  "No reaction from any of them is the worst situation to be in," Raito continued, his face grim. He moved to the next section of the board, tapping a crime scene picture of a familiar, heavyset Tortoise Sacred.

  "Now, the next event. Mr. Tseh's death."

  "He is found dead in his own apartment room, a few days after the fire," Raito said. "His body already stiff, almost rotting, suggesting he was killed not long after the fire started."

  "Mr. Tseh, the museum guard," Mila said, her brow furrowing. "He was there during the fire, right?"

  "Yeah, he was there," Raito confirmed. "But not when we were running away. He vanished."

  "The guards found a suicide note in his room," Tanvir added, crossing his arms. "Which really adds to the whole 'he hung himself out of guilt' vision the culprit wanted us to have."

  "That vision, we debunked it," Tanvir grumbled.

  "We?" Raito looked at him, confused.

  "Sorry. You," Tanvir corrected, sounding annoyed.

  Raito grinned, a flash of his detective persona returning. "Yeah, me and my gang—not Sir Tanvir—debunked it, Your Majesty."

  He held up three fingers. "We found multiple odd things. First, the paper used for the note does not match any of the belongings he has inside his apartment. Second, he has hand marks on his neck, shoulders, and under his armpit."

  He mimed the action on himself. "Suggesting he was strangled, not hanged. Killed in cold blood. But someone tried to frame him to close the case out as a guilt-driven suicide."

  Raito paused, his expression turning thoughtful. "Also... I personally think that Mr. Tseh knew our culprit."

  "And what made you say that?" the King asked.

  "It's his palms and fingers, Your Majesty," Raito explained. "If you were being strangled, what would you do?"

  "I would fight back," the King answered instantly. "Scratch. Claw."

  "Right. But Mr. Tseh has nothing to suggest he fought back," Raito said. "His fingernails, knuckles, palms were almost flawless. His room also has no trace of a struggle. So most likely... Mr. Tseh knew his attacker and accepted his fate."

  He moved to the final picture on the board—a sketch of a photograph.

  "And the reason, most likely, is our mysterious green-haired girl." Raito pointed to the picture of the young Mr. Tseh standing next to a green-haired child. "Whoever this is holds the key to solving our case. But we have no leads so far."

  "This green-haired girl does not exist in any of our records, Your Majesty," Malik added, standing up and adjusting his glasses. "And with that hair color, she should be very noticeable in Zarateph."

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  "But at least we solved how the culprit left the locked room!" Raito said, trying to inject some positivity back into the grim briefing.

  He launched into an explanation, using his hands to demonstrate. "Even though the door to that apartment is very creaky, the window is not. So the culprit used a string and hair oil as a lubricant to lock the latch after they left."

  He pointed to Yukari. "The hint was because the slime on the latch had a similar viscosity to the hair oil Yukari used. And after asking the guard last night, they found the slime on the crime scene to be a match with the hair oil sold in the market here in Zarateph."

  "So that's where you went last night," Yukari said, crossing her arms and giving him a look.

  "Uh..." Raito froze. He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "Actually... asking the guard is not the only thing I did last night. Hehe."

  "Then," Raito said quickly, his voice dropping to a somber note as he pointed to the last, most recent picture on the board, " that leads us to the most recent event."

  It was a sketch of the palace courtyard, the scene of the previous night's horror.

  "The death of Mr. Adou, the Camel Sacred scholar," Raito said. "Who was staked with a javelin through his heart, right here in the palace courtyard."

  The King flinched, a pained expression crossing his face.

  "Mr. Adou, our most recent victim," Raito continued, his gaze intense. "He was killed because he tried to share very concerning information."

  "Hold on," Tanvir interrupted, leaning forward. "What information, boy?"

  "Here." Raito reached into his tweed jacket and pulled out the crumpled note he had taken from the alleyway. He slid it to the middle of the table.

  Tanvir snatched it up, his eyes scanning the hurried script. "Where did you get this?" he asked, passing the note to the King.

  "Mr. Zahir," Raito answered.

  "The scholar of anthropology?" Malik blinked, adjusting his glasses as he leaned in to see. "But what does he have to do with Mr. Adou's death?"

  "He was there," Raito said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Watching from a distance when we found Mr. Adou's corpse. And then he ran. So I... I kinda chased him down."

  Yukari glared at him, her arms crossed tight. "You chased a scholar down? In the middle of the night? Without telling anyone?" she asked, her voice cold.

  "Sorry," Raito shivered under her gaze.

  Yukari sighed, rubbing her temple. "Any other details I should know?"

  "No, not really," Raito said quickly.

  "Please continue," she waved a hand, relenting.

  "Right," Raito said, regaining his composure. "So, Mr. Zahir told me he was meeting Mr. Adou that night. They chose the palace because they believed it was safe, with all the guards around."

  He pointed to the note in the King's hands. "And don't worry about the authenticity of that note. I compared the handwriting to Mr. Adou's journal and all his papers in the palace library last night. It matches."

  "Not safe enough," the King sighed, his voice heavy with regret as he read the words.

  "The content of their meeting," Raito continued, "is believed to be something related to a 'traitor' amongst the scholars. Know anything, Your Majesty?"

  "Traitor?" The King looked shocked, but quickly composed himself, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, no. The scholar group is all my wife's idea. She is the one who is more involved in this. You will have to ask her once she wakes up."

  "And what is this new information about a traitor?" Tanvir asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

  "Beats me," Raito shrugged. "Mr. Adou died before he could reveal it to Mr. Zahir. And now... I believe Mr. Zahir is halfway across the sea. He kinda ran away after telling me this."

  "And you let him go?!" Tanvir slammed his hand on the table, making the cups rattle.

  "He is too cowardly and money-driven," Raito said dismissively. "He would not have the guts to do any of this."

  Raito turned to the women in the room—Mila, Zhu, and Yukari. "And the javelin... its aim was too precise. Isn't that right, Lady Lihua? Mila? Yukari?"

  "Raito's right," Mila said, her voice flat and professional. "That wound is not something a scholar, nor an amateur, could do."

  "It is very precise," Zhu added, nodding grimly. "One strike. One blow. Instant death."

  "Only a master spearman can do that," Yukari concluded.

  Bob raised a massive hand, looking lost. "Raito... I'm sorry, but I'm really not following," his voice was meek.

  "Sorry about that, Bob," Raito said with a gentle smile. He turned back to the board, his expression hardening. "So, what I'm saying is... we have two culprits."

  He held up two fingers. "The one who killed Mr. Tseh, and the one who killed Mr. Adou, are two completely different people."

  The audience gasped.

  "How did you know that?" Samira asked, her eyes wide.

  SLAM.

  The heavy double doors of the throne room burst open.

  "Because," a voice rang out, weak but commanding, "the one who killed Mr. Tseh was amateurish, unplanned, and driven by their history together. While the one who killed Mr. Adou is a cold-blooded professional who is silencing someone."

  Leaning heavily against the doorframe, pale but awake, was Queen Aleena.

  "Isn't that right, boy?" she asked, looking directly at Raito.

  "Mom!" Samira shouted, leaping from her chair and running toward her.

  "Dear!" The King was right behind her, his face a mask of relief and joy.

  "Sorry to make you two worried," the Queen said softly, patting Samira's head as the princess buried her face in her mother's shoulder. She leaned up and kissed the King's cheek, a tender gesture that spoke volumes of their relief. "But I am fine. Just a bit tired."

  "Oh!" King Ahmed jolted, his face flushing a bright crimson with embarrassment in front of his court, though his hand lingered on her arm.

  The Queen smiled weakly, then turned her sharp, intelligent gaze back to Raito.

  "Shilook Huang and the Mystery of the Mirror Ball," she said, her voice steady despite her fatigue. "All of this is very reminiscent of that book. The fire, the misdirection, the hidden motive."

  "You are correct, Your Majesty," Raito said, bowing low. "This whole flow of the case is way too similar to that book. That's why I felt something was odd, like I knew this from somewhere."

  He straightened up, adjusting his cap. "That is why, after double-checking the authenticity of Mr. Adou's note, I moved on to reading all of Shilook's books. All 143 volumes of them. Last night."

  "Hooooo," Yukari drawled, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "You stayed up all night to read that bumbling detective's book instead of being with your wife?"

  "Sorry! Sorry!" Raito immediately dropped to his knees in front of her, hands clasped in prayer. "It was for the investigation! I swear!"

  "But how did you know which book, Your Majesty?" Raito asked from the floor, turning his head to look at the Queen.

  Samira and King Ahmed helped Queen Aleena to her chair at the head of the table. She sat down with a sigh of relief.

  "I was a bit of a fan of Shilook growing up," the Queen admitted, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. "He was so dreamy. His deductive reasoning was simply enchanting."

  "You never told me this," the King said, looking puzzled and slightly hurt.

  "You never asked," the Queen replied simply, patting his hand.

  "I'm starting to not like Shilook," the King muttered, crossing his arms petulantly.

  "Agreed," Yukari nodded solemnly.

  "Don't worry, you are adorable," the Queen laughed, reaching over to pinch the King's cheek playfully.

  She coughed, regaining her composure. "If this case indeed followed the flow of that book... won't Zayna be the prime suspect candidate?"

  "That's what I thought too, Your Majesty," Raito said, getting back to his feet and dusting off his knees. "She is also a Shilook fan and has a massive first edition collection. But it can't be her."

  "Biased?" Yukari asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "No," Raito shook his head firmly. "Precisely because she is a massive fan, she wouldn't dare to taint the legacy of Shilook by using the case he solved... badly."

  "Badly? Badly how?" Tanvir asked, looking confused.

  Raito walked back to the board, tapping the timeline. "The flow of the case might follow what happened in the book, but the execution, details, and chain of events are wrong. It's messy."

  He pointed to specific points. "In the book, the stage is a ball of a rural noble, not a museum. Then, the javelin came first, as the first kill, way before the fire. Also, the misdirection—in our case, Mr. Tseh—happens in the middle and is certainly not motivated by a personal grudge like we have here."

  He turned to the group, his eyes gleaming. "Ms. Zayna, who is a mega fan, would not sloppily copy events of one of the best-selling Shilook stories like this. This smells like someone decided on a whim to copy it after one reading to throw us off."

  Raito's expression darkened. "This whole case feels like the culprit thinks they are ten steps ahead of us. A superiority complex. Making a maze to make us lost, when in fact it leads us closer to them."

  He tapped the board with his pipe, a sharp thud. "And now... the grand reveal. I think I know who is the professional between our two culprits."

  "The person in the ragged hood," the Queen said quietly.

  Raito looked at her, surprised. "You saw them too, Your Majesty?"

  "Briefly," the Queen nodded, her eyes distant with the memory of the flames. "Before my consciousness was gone in the fire. I saw a figure in a ragged hood, watching from the shadows."

  "That person exists?" Tanvir asked, surprised.

  "Told you," Raito said with a smirk.

  "All we need now is to find the mastermind, not the muscle," Raito declared, his voice firm.

  "Why?" Tanvir asked, leaning forward. "Shouldn't we arrest the killer?"

  "Because, Sir Tanvir," Raito said, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "The muscle will be there to protect the mastermind when we come to arrest him. We find the head... and the body will follow."

  "Then, not including Mr. Zahir," Malik spoke up, looking at the board, "what do we do with the remaining scholars?"

  "Let's see..." Malik flipped through his handbook, his brow furrowing. "Lady Tala, Mr. Naim, Dr. Jalal, and Ms. Shahir. Four people we haven't interviewed."

  "We really should get to interviewing them soon," Raito pondered, tapping his pipe against his chin. "They might provide us with extra clues. Especially Lady Tala."

  He pointed to her name. "She is the most suspicious right now. We should pay her a quick visit first."

  "She did see the fire first," Samira added, nodding. "While others didn't even notice the light or the smell of smoke."

  "Then it's settled," the Queen said, her voice regaining its royal authority. She pointed to Raito, Yukari, Samira, and Malik. "You four... Shilook Gang, was it?" She giggled slightly. "The healer told me about it. You four may visit Lady Tala."

  She turned to Tanvir. "While the guards, and you, please, Tanvir, will visit the remaining three. I expect detailed questioning, and make sure we get any information on this traitor."

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Raito and Tanvir bowed in unison.

  "Well, kid," Tanvir said, giving Raito a competitive grin as he stood up. "I guess this is a race. I will make sure those remaining three confess their crimes."

  "I never said the culprit is definitely among the four remaining scholars," Raito warned. "Just a possibility."

  He paused, a puzzled frown crossing his face. "Also..."

  "What's wrong?" Yukari asked, sensing his hesitation.

  "Just... I feel like something is missing," Raito murmured, looking at the board, then at the Queen, then at his own hands. "Something I might have overlooked. I hope I'm wrong for this one."

  "Are you perhaps having your 'Celestial Insight' moment, young Raito?" the Queen asked, her eyes twinkling.

  The King turned to her, bewildered. "What is that?"

  "It's the name of the moment when Shilook has a breakthrough on his case," the Queen explained patiently. "A special moment of clarity."

  "Wow, Your Majesty really knows her stuff," Raito murmured, impressed.

  "I told you, I was a fan of Shilook growing up," the Queen said, poking the King playfully.

  "Mom, can you read me these stories sometimes?" Samira asked, her eyes shining. "Seeing Raito and you gushing over this Shilook made me interested."

  "Sure, anytime," the Queen smiled.

  "Great. My biggest nightmare," Yukari commented dryly.

  Bob and the King burst out laughing, the sound momentarily lightening the heavy atmosphere of the room.

  "As great as that sounds," Raito laughed, "unfortunately, I am not Shilook, Your Majesty. Though... it would be really sick to actually have 'Celestial Insight'..."

  He froze. His eyes went wide.

  "??????"

  "What is it this time?" Yukari asked, rolling her eyes.

  "Sick... sick..." Raito repeated the word, pacing back and forth, his steps quick and agitated. "Sick..."

  He spun on his heel. "Wang-Son!"

  "Yes?" Malik jumped, startled.

  "Did you write down all of our conversations with the five scholars from yesterday?" Raito demanded, extending a hand.

  "Yes?" Malik blinked, confused. "It's here in my handy notebook." He pulled it out.

  Raito snatched it from his hands. "I need it for a second."

  The whole room watched in puzzled silence as Raito frantically skimmed through the pages, flipping them so fast they blurred.

  "Not this one... not this one... not this either..." he murmured, his finger tracing lines of text. "Ah. This one."

  He stopped. He read the page again, slower this time. Then he snapped the book shut with a loud thwack.

  "Just as I thought," Raito said, his voice low and serious. "I really missed something. A small detail that I overlooked because of yesterday's circumstances."

  He looked up at the Queen, his eyes burning with a new intensity. "Your Majesty, can Sir Tanvir take Lady Tala's questioning instead of me?"

  "Yes, sure?" the Queen said, surprised by the sudden change. "But where are you going?"

  "Library," Raito declared, turning toward the door. "I need to confirm something."

  He looked at his team. "Gang, please help me."

  Yukari sighed, a long, suffering sound. "Fine. But you owe me a massage."

  "Deal!" Raito said. Before she could react, he scooped his wife up in a princess carry.

  "This will be fun!" Samira cheered, grabbing Malik by the arm and dragging him toward the door, following Raito and Yukari.

  "Help me," Malik mouthed silently to Tanvir, gesturing desperately as he was hauled away.