Chapter 41: Notebook
The mountainside villa stood pressed against a sheer cliff on one side, with steep drops on the other three. A single wooden drawbridge once connected it to the winding road beyond, but now the bridge had been severed, leaving the villa completely isolated.
Seeing this setup, Enber couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity. Just as he was about to say something, a line of Hermes-script text floated before his eyes:
Identify the murderer. (You have only one chance.)
"It seems this eighth-floor labyrinth is a crime-scene investigation… and 'only one chance' likely means if we accuse the wrong person, we'll be deemed failures and immediately ejected from the Dream Labyrinth Tower," Mr. Gaston explained, clearly used to similar scenarios.
"Where's the murderer? Inside the villa?" Xio asked, glancing at the distinctly Loen-style building. For some reason, it reminded her of Backlund's famous Mayfield Estate.
"We'll find out soon enough." With a knowing look, Enber pushed open the door and led the way inside.
Eight people were gathered in the villa's hall—four men and four women. One of the men was just a boy, no older than six or seven.
Whatever roles the Dream Labyrinth Tower had assigned to Enber and his companions, their arrival caused no suspicion among the others.
"Conan? Not him again!" Mr. Gaston's face darkened as his normally steady voice carried a rare edge of frustration.
Conan? Enber's thoughts jolted to the infamous elementary school death god. His eyes swept over the boy: blue suit, red bowtie, oversized glasses… but with distinctly Loenese features rather than those of the original "death god" detective. Even the furniture and décor around them were old-fashioned, older than anything in Backlund.
While Enber was piecing things together, Xio whispered, "Mr. Gaston, what's so special about this child named Conan?"
"I've encountered him twice before on the eighth floor and several times on the ninth. Every time, my progress ended in failure!" Gaston's voice grew sharper. "This kid Conan always appears in murder scenarios. He seems to be a Beyonder of the Reader's pathway: Sequence 6 Detective (knowledge keeper) — with strength and agility far beyond a normal child. On top of that, he's loaded with powerful enchanted items: his glasses, bowtie, belt, watch, even his shoes! His deductive ability is top-notch, and if he identifies the murderer before we do, the Tower counts it as our failure. It's utterly…" Gaston cut himself off, taking a deep breath to keep from cursing.
So Gaston's been burned by Conan more than once… Xio thought, sneaking a glance at Enber.
Enber, meanwhile, was reeling. What the hell? If he had only half-suspected this Conan to be a parody, Gaston's description nearly confirmed it: this Conan was indeed that Conan, the "elementary school death god," even if his appearance didn't match perfectly.
With this realization, Enber became certain of what he had already suspected—the Dream Labyrinth Tower had to be Roselle the Great Emperor's creation!
Did he use it as a magical archive for all the films, shows, and comics he never managed to plagiarize? That fireplace scene earlier… I've seen something like it in a movie too. And now this villa—it's probably straight from a Conan episode. Inspiration sparked. If that's true, then many of these scenes are ones I already know. I might actually be able to breeze past the seventh floor… and maybe even tackle the sixth, since I'll have foreknowledge of the dangers.
While he pondered, the group inside the villa discussed a "Mummy Monster" that had recently attacked Conan's older sister in a nearby grove. Though the attack failed, it had left everyone shaken.
"This mummy monster is probably the murderer. It hasn't succeeded yet, but maybe we should ambush it and catch it?" Xio suggested after overhearing. Even stripped of her powers, she believed she could handle an ordinary opponent or two.
"It's not that simple…" Gaston shook his head grimly. "Any case involving Conan is always convoluted. The so-called 'mummy monster' is usually the first one to die. Except for Conan and his sister, anyone here could be the killer!" His voice carried the weight of someone scarred by repeated failures.
At that, Enber returned to his senses. He gave Xio a reassuring smile, then stepped forward with confidence. "No need to overcomplicate it. I already know who the murderer is. After all, I've watched this episode before. And besides… the murderer's belly has a detail that doesn't fit."
"What?" Gaston's eyes widened. He had never seen a detective solve a case this quickly. Two glances and Enber had already fingered the culprit—before the crime even happened? Could he really be right?
Gaston's outburst drew the attention of Conan and the others, who all turned to Enber with wary curiosity.
Enber didn't hesitate. He pointed at a broad-faced, heavyset man. "He's the mummy monster. He isn't truly fat—he stuffed his belly with padding to hide items after his crimes. He attacked the lady here because she caught him changing clothes and nearly exposed his secret."
The room fell silent. All eyes fixed on the "fat man." Two of the other men even moved to block his escape.
The man sneered, tugged out the stuffing from his belly—and the entire scene shattered like glass. The villa, the cliffs, Conan… all dissolved. Enber and his companions were back in the Reward Room.
Apparently, the Dream Labyrinth only required identifying the culprit, not proving the case.
Still dazed, Mr. Gaston finally exhaled in awe. "That one thousand pounds… was worth it. Are all detectives this good? I thought that kid Conan was the best, but I never expected…"
Any detective who already knows the plot would be this good, Enber muttered inwardly. He ignored Gaston's bewildered conclusions and went straight to the reading desks, eager to see his reward.
Xio wasn't surprised—Enber had always been "full of surprises."
Once seated, Enber felt a notebook materialize in his hands. Its cover read: Arnold's Notes on Mysticism.
A knowledge reward this time. Enber opened it with care. Unlike a novel, knowledge was something he treated with the utmost respect—especially since his change of allegiance.
He read through the final page, then habitually pinched his chin in thought. This Arnold must have been a Sequence 7 Warlock on the Hermit Pathway. Most of the ritual magic here I've already studied, but that last part—describing a ritual to channel the power of high-level Beyonder items into talismans without invoking a deity—that's interesting.
It wasn't the talisman itself that intrigued him, but the concept. For a White Tower pathway Beyonder who specialized in ritual magic, this approach could open new possibilities tailored to his path.
I'd been reluctant to forge an item that connects to the Gray Fog by invoking a deity. But if I apply this idea, I could channel power directly from the Pure White Eye. Its level is high enough, and the Gray Fog knowledge originally came from analyzing it anyway. Temporarily imbuing an item should be possible… though I'll likely need to reach Sequence 7. As a Student of Ratiocination, I just don't have the spiritual energy yet.
Though he regretted not being able to test the concept immediately, Enber was satisfied with the eighth-floor reward. The Tower truly was generous to first-time challengers.
Turning around, he noticed Xio grinning widely, clearly pleased with her own prize.
"What did you get?" he asked.
"It's a biography—but it mentions one of the main ingredients for the Sheriff potion formula!" she replied, her eyes shining.
Both Sheriff ingredients appear in the novel, right? In a few days, I'll find a way to "accidentally" share it with her, Enber thought. Out loud, he asked, "Whose biography? There could be more clues."
"It's about a Royal Navy boatswain named Elland and his rise from sailor to officer. It ends with him retiring to become a passenger ship captain." Xio frowned. "Another story that cuts off halfway… Why do I keep getting these half-finished narratives?"
Maybe because you keep pestering Fors for updates on her manuscripts… Enber thought with an amused smile.
(End of Chapter)