Time slipped by.
At last, night descended.
Everyone gathered once more in the main hall.
"Alright," Valerius announced calmly. "It's nighttime. Everyone, please return to your rooms. No matter what sounds you hear tonight—do not come out."
They all understood.
The real game was finally beginning.
Without another word, they rose and headed toward their respective rooms.
"Wait."
Just then, Herta spoke up, stopping them.
Seeing the puzzled looks around her, the corners of her lips curved upward into a smug smile.
"I'm exercising the Young Lady's authority."
The moment she said that, everyone's expressions changed.
Only Jing Yuan sighed helplessly.
He already knew what Herta was about to do.
But… was she really fine with dragging everyone else into danger like this?
"Tonight," Herta declared, "Xiao will stand guard outside my door. He is not to leave."
That single sentence made Xiao feel utterly miserable.
He had planned to patrol the castle at night to identify the killer.
Now she was ordering him to stand still?
His entire plan was ruined.
Herta, of course, didn't care how he felt.
She was the Young Lady—her word was law.
Without another glance, she headed up to the third floor.
"…Sigh."
Xiao had no choice but to follow, taking up position outside her door.
This immediately put the others on edge.
Everyone except Jade.
Herta was in Room 5, the middle room on the third floor.
Jade was in Room 4, right next door.
As for Xiao, his assigned room was Room 6, but now he'd be stationed directly in front of Room 5.
Which meant—
He was also indirectly protecting Jade.
Reaching the third floor, Jade smiled faintly as she saw Xiao standing there, arms crossed.
"Then I'll be relying on you tonight," she said lightly.
With that, she opened her door and stepped inside.
Livestream Chat
[Keqing]: That's cruel—only thinking about her own safety.
[Hu Tao]: Exactly! And making the Conqueror of Demons guard her door—too much!
[Xiangling]: With Xiao protecting her, that must feel incredibly safe…
[Yun Jin]: So jealous.
[Asta]: I'm jealous of Lady Herta too.
[Boothill]: Hey, has nobody considered—what if Xiao is the killer?
[Gepard]: Then… Lady Herta would be in danger!
[Topaz]: Heh. If Xiao's the killer, this gets interesting.
[Ruan Mei]: No. Herta is completely safe.
[Dr. Ratio]: Correct.
[Screwllum]: Indeed. No matter who the killer is, Herta will not be targeted.
[Yanqing]: Huh? Why is she the safest?
[Shikanoin Heizou]: If Xiao is the killer, he won't attack Herta first—doing so would immediately make him the prime suspect. If Xiao isn't the killer, then the killer won't choose someone who's guarded.
[Yanqing]: When you put it like that… yeah.
[March 7th]: So if Xiao is the killer, doesn't that mean Jade is actually in danger?
[Welt]: The same logic applies, March. If a murder happens tonight, it will be among Rooms 1, 2, or 3.
[Sushang]: Th-then… who will it be?
[Kaeya]: Isn't it obvious? Jing Yuan—Bennett-certified bad luck.
[Diluc]: I can't find a solid rebuttal.
[Fu Xuan]: ...…
[Qingque]: ...…
[Yukong]: ...…
[Jingliu]: ...…
That was… deeply unsettling.
The Xianzhou viewers collectively began praying.
General, you've got to pull through.
Getting eliminated first would be unacceptable.
At that moment, the livestream feed faded to black.
Room 1
Jing Yuan sat by the desk near the window, taking out a photograph.
It was a clue he'd found earlier that day.
The photo depicted three people.
A young girl—clearly Herta—sat on a chair, with a man and a woman standing on either side of her.
"…A family photo?"
Jing Yuan couldn't immediately grasp its significance.
But since Herta appeared in it, he'd kept it.
"If Herta is the Young Lady of this castle," he murmured, "then these two must be her parents."
He flipped the photo over.
A date was written on the back.
January 1st, 2000.
Jing Yuan glanced at the wall calendar.
The current date read April 5th, 2003.
"So this photo was taken three years ago…"
His brow furrowed.
He'd spent the entire day exploring the castle, yet found no signs of other people having lived here recently.
Which meant—
Herta, the so-called Young Lady, had likely been living alone.
"I'll have to ask her about this tomorrow."
If he could find traces of her past, then she certainly knew more.
Whether she chose to be honest… that would be interesting.
His gaze shifted to the window.
Outside, he spotted Furina, cautiously making her way toward the garden shed.
She took three steps, then looked back—over and over again.
It was hard not to smile.
"Lucky," Jing Yuan muttered. "Being able to change locations at night."
He couldn't help feeling envious.
As a Doctor, he had access to a medicine room—but at night, he was confined to his bedroom.
Meanwhile, Furina could freely leave the castle.
I'd love an identity like that…
"Identity…"
Suddenly, Jing Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
Something he'd been missing—something subtle—clicked into place.
The more he thought about identities, the more connections formed.
"…My gods."
"The killer isn't… them, is it?"
Click.
A crisp sound echoed.
Jing Yuan snapped his head toward the door—
—and locked eyes with the figure entering the room.
"Wait—keys work too?!"
His eyes widened in shock.
This wasn't following the script at all.
The intruder held a gleaming dagger.
There was no need to guess.
This was the killer.
Without a word, the figure lunged forward.
The blade plunged cleanly into Jing Yuan's abdomen.
"So it really was you…"
His strength drained rapidly as blood spilled forth.
With a bitter smile, Jing Yuan collapsed to the floor.
"Heh," the killer said softly.
Their voice was distorted—neither male nor female.
"Surprised?"
Stepping over Jing Yuan's body, the killer shoved the window open.
Then, with blood-stained hands, they opened the door and vanished into the night.