Scarlet Moon Goddess Irina

The night wind felt rather biting, causing the pages of the notebook on the table to flip on their own.

The gaslight flickered intermittently, as if it might go out at any moment.

Grace's smile faded as he looked at Irina. "Your Highness, this isn't something to be taken lightly."

"What do you think I'm playing at? I only want to eliminate the threats around me," Irina retorted, her gaze fixed firmly on Grace.

"Very well, then tell me—who is the murderer?" Grace spread his hands in inquiry.

Grace's skeptical stance did not anger Irina. Instead, she quickly sifted through her thoughts until her reasoning became clear.

"The murderer is… Frederick!"

Irina calmly uttered the name, and in her mind appeared the image of a young man with brown hair, green eyes, and a notably proper demeanor.

This answer surprised Grace. "Why him? I thought he was the one person you wouldn't mention. After all, you could accuse the others of having motives—Mrs. Aileen might resent her husband's infertility, Mr. Scandine might blame Robony for possibly leaking the secret of his mistress, and Lomingfu might be upset that, despite being his longest-serving student, Robony favored Frederick. But Frederick? He seemingly had no reason to kill."

"Because he was the one who proposed the magic performance," Irina replied.

Magic performance?

Grace was momentarily taken aback, pausing for several seconds before recalling that the testimonies did indeed mention a magic show—specifically, a metamorphosis act.

Indicating the fourth page of Lomingfu's statement, Irina continued, "Here, he itemized the procurement of magic props. Yet many of these items clearly weren't needed for a metamorphosis act. So, what were they bought for?"

Grace glanced over the list, finding nothing obviously amiss, and asked, "What do you think is wrong with it? There are plenty of props that aren't used for a metamorphosis act—perhaps they were purchased in preparation for future magic performances."

"But neither Mr. Robony nor the others were enthusiasts of magic shows," Irina countered.

This time, Grace fell silent, lost in thought.

Pointing at the list, Irina pressed on, "The extra magic props were clearly used by the murderer as a smokescreen. And what the murderer truly desired, without a doubt, has already been put to use."

"You mean which item?"

"This one—the paralyzing potion."

"Paralyzing potion? Even the security officers noted this, suggesting that Mr. Robony applied it to the dagger to spare himself from excessive pain in death."

"I don't believe so."

Irina shook her head, recalling the vacant, almost profound look on Robony's face before he died.

Grace licked his somewhat dry lips. "Even if what you say is true, why then is it Frederick? After all, Lomingfu was the one ordered to purchase the props."

"Lomingfu bought them under orders—from both Robony and Frederick."

"So what do you think the purpose of the paralyzing potion was?"

"Clearly, it was meant to prevent Mr. Robony from speaking. Even if someone is stabbed through the heart and on the brink of death, they'd still likely utter something before dying. Frederick must have wanted to ensure that Robony didn't say what he wasn't supposed to, so, to be on the safe side, he used the paralyzing potion."

"Your Highness, please continue," Grace said, rubbing his head which throbbed with a slight headache.

Irina nodded, gathering her thoughts before speaking slowly:

"With the Starlight Festival approaching, Mr. Robony intended to hold a banquet to celebrate. He was always such an amusing man, trying to add some flair to the event. At that moment, his student Frederick proposed a magic performance. This performance was meant to have two parts: one part was a metamorphosis act, and the other was, in fact, a self-designed 'suicide' orchestrated by Frederick for Mr. Robony."

"Mr. Robony was charming and cheerful. When I met him this morning, I could sense it—he knew I spoke Ferentian, yet he continued to converse with me in Aengusian… A man like that couldn't possibly change his nature overnight. I'm referring specifically to the words he spoke before his death, phrases about the impending darkness, and such."

"Thus, those lines were also designed by Frederick—to have Mr. Robony recite them and then commit suicide in full view of everyone, to shock the onlookers. It was supposed to be an inconsequential joke… but Mr. Robony never expected that his dagger would be switched; the false blade, which could normally retract upon contact with an obstacle, turned into a real dagger that pierced his heart."

"He should have been able to shout out the truth before dying. Unfortunately, the dagger had been coated with the paralyzing potion, so in those brief moments he couldn't say anything, and he collapsed in resignation and confusion… Sir, that is the answer."

Irina looked intently at Grace.

Grace stared back in amazement—he never imagined that Irina could reconstruct such a detailed sequence of events. Could the girl before him really be only fifteen?

No, now is not the time for such thoughts.

Grace refocused on the case, frowning. "One more thing—why would Frederick kill Mr. Robony? He had no apparent reason to do so."

"Hasn't the reason already appeared?" Irina said with deep significance.

"Where exactly?" Grace's brow furrowed further.

"When it was confirmed he was an Extraordinary… all the Extraordinaires are trapped by the Advancement Ceremony, aren't they? So, isn't his behavior driven by the demands of that ceremony?" Irina slowly explained.

All of this is based on pure speculation, but given the known facts, Irina believed her conjecture was sufficiently accurate.

Grace's frown deepened even more as he asked for further details on her deductions, and Irina provided explanations one by one.

…

Meanwhile, in a classroom still echoing with cries, Frederick—with his brown hair, green eyes, and a faint beard along his lips—furrowed his brow, sensing that something was amiss.

This shouldn't be happening… This performance was supposed to be flawless, with no one able to know the truth. After all this time, we should have received feedback on the performance, but why hasn't my Advancement Ceremony been completed? Why haven't I advanced to become a magician?

Could it be that someone saw through my performance? If so, doesn't that put me in grave danger now?

Frederick took a deep breath. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention to him, he licked his lips and said to a security officer, "I'd like to visit the restroom. Would you accompany me?"