Watching Olga Marie slumped beside the headless corpse, Aesc pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
Seriously?
You kill someone, disguise yourself as them, and just leave the body hidden in the exact same spot?
Huh? Have I caught it from Lord El-Melloi II?
Aesc stared, slightly horrified, at her own hand still pressed against her forehead.
"Ah, Miss Aesc." Gray, who had been standing by helplessly, hurried over as Aesc and Lord El-Melloi II arrived. "We came to Olga Marie's room, and as soon as we opened the door, we saw..."
"It's alright."
"Trisha..."
The Olga Marie sitting beside the corpse seemed to have been somewhat prepared mentally. She wasn't hysterical, just kneeling on the floor, whispering the name 'Trisha' over and over.
People who had heard the commotion began trickling into the room.
Among them was Karabo.
Noticing Aesc's inquisitive glance, Karabo gave a slight nod.
They probably didn't need to worry about that slashing attack anymore.
Just in case, though, it wouldn't hurt to place a marker on Karabo. Make it easier to… water him later.
Aesc twitched her fingers, and a faint blue glimmer of magical energy flickered and vanished.
"Miss, would you allow me to examine the body?" Karabo stepped forward slowly. "I'm no professional, but I'm… familiar with this type of corpse. I might find something. What do you say?"
The Olga Marie on the floor lifted her head to stare at Karabo. After a long moment, she stood up, walked over to Aesc's side, and gave a silent nod.
Karabo took charge of the body and began his inspection.
"So, something like this has happened."
A new voice came from the doorway.
"You're here too?" Lord El-Melloi II said without turning around. He didn't need to look to know it was Hishiri Adashino.
"Well, a murder has occurred. As part of the Department of Policies, I really should come and take a look." Hishiri Adashino stepped forward, her trademark smile firmly in place. "Speaking of which, Miss Olga Marie and this… the deceased, Ms. Trisha, were just with you, weren't they? I heard there was quite a fight."
"We were the ones who were attacked."
"Is that so?" Adashino put on an expression of shock so fake it was almost impressive. "The culprit even seemed to summon a Ghost Liner. It's quite impressive you all managed to survive."
As she said this, Adashino's gaze flickered towards Aesc, who was standing with Olga Marie.
This woman… how much did she see of what happened before?
What is this fox up to now?
Lord El-Melloi II thought with a headache.
Oblivious that she had become a topic of discussion, Aesc was busy searching the room for something.
If the murder happened here, then the head should be here too. Narrowing her eyes, Aesc scanned the lower parts of the room.
Ah, found it.
But…
She glanced at Olga Marie, who was standing beside her, leaning her weight slightly towards Aesc.
Olga Marie immediately glanced back. "What is it?"
You just saw a corpse the moment you opened the door, and you're already fine?
Seeing the slight surprise on Aesc's face, Olga Marie crossed her arms and lifted her chin a little. "Don't underestimate me. Why are you looking at me all of a sudden? Did you find something?"
"Can't I just be concerned about you?"
"That look in your eyes, searching for something, didn't seem much like concern for me," Olga Marie tilted her head, looking at Aesc out of the corner of her eye.
"Was it that obvious?" Aesc reached out and ruffled Olga Marie's hair.
"You found something but looked at me. Is it something related to me?" Olga Marie shook off Aesc's hand and continued, "Or is it… Trisha's head?"
As she said this, a trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
Despite her grief, the young lady held her spine straight.
"I won't let the one who harmed Trisha get away with it. Tell me."
Aesc parted her lips slightly, feeling the girl was different from the impression she'd had before.
Faced with an Olga Marie like this, there was only one answer Aesc could give.
"Alright."
At that moment, Karabo stood up.
"Time of death… sometime yesterday."
"...I slept unusually well last night." Olga Marie moved a little closer to Aesc, murmuring softly.
"Hmm… Why was the victim's head taken? Is it needed as a medium for some magecraft?" Karabo mused, stroking his chin.
"She had Mystic Eyes of Precognition."
"Oh?"
This statement caused a stir of surprise among those present.
"I see. So the culprit might have been after her Mystic Eyes, to steal them or make use of them." Remembering his own sudden appearance in the lounge car earlier, Karabo touched his eyelid.
"Precognition, and yet she didn't foresee her own death?" Lord El-Melloi II adjusted his glasses.
"My Retrocognition can't see it either," Karabo said after a moment of silence. "Perhaps the other party had some form of protection. I can see everything up until she sat in this chair, but the moment of the decapitation and the events immediately surrounding it are blurred. Unclear."
"Hmm… So that's why you're on this train? Someone your age isn't likely to be here for a Mystic Eye transplant." Yvette, who had come over for the spectacle, blinked her eyes cutely. "At your age, you probably couldn't adapt to a transplant anyway."
"Yes, it's not exactly a secret. It would have appeared on the auction list later regardless." Karabo shrugged.
"If even your Retrocognition can't see it, then for her, with her Precognition, it was probably the same."
Lord El-Melloi II's voice was calm as it resonated in the room.
"If she could have perceived it, she likely would have taken some measures. At the very least, she would have warned her master, Olga Marie."
"She did take measures." Aesc spoke up suddenly, leading Olga Marie to a corner of the room.
"Olga Marie, look over there. Does anything seem different?" Under the puzzled gazes of everyone, Aesc patted Olga Marie's shoulder and pointed ahead of them.
Everyone looked where Aesc was pointing, but they saw… nothing.
"Go on, touch it," Aesc whispered into Olga Marie's ear.
Olga Marie gave Aesc a questioning look, but walked over and slowly, cautiously, reached her hand out towards the empty air.
There was nothing there, only a faint flow of chilly air. Yet, as she extended her hand, a peculiar, prickling sensation shot through it.
"There's a spell here? It's reacting to my Magic Crest?"
Olga Marie looked back at Aesc, who stepped forward, her palm open as if ready to catch something.
At the same time, Aesc gave Olga Marie an encouraging nod.
Olga Marie continued moving her fingers carefully, as if turning a lock. She rotated her hand about halfway before the motion stopped.
"It's stuck. The rest probably requires a secret."
As she pondered the password, a memory seemed to surface, making her expression look on the verge of tears.
A moment later, she opened her mouth and recited a short spell as the password.
"Little fool Mary, straighten your spine."
Her curved fingertips turned that final half-rotation, like a key turning in a lock.
Instantly, an object was spat out from the void and dropped into Aesc's waiting hand.
Simultaneously, a pendant clattered to the floor.
"Karabo..."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.