When Duanmu Huai returned to the observation deck, the others all looked up at him with uneasy expressions.
"So? Mr. Detective, have you found the killer?"
The male student who had spoken to him earlier hurriedly asked.
However, upon hearing his question, the people following behind Duanmu Huai revealed complicated expressions.
At first, they had believed that as long as enough clues and evidence were found, the culprit could be identified.
But…
The more clues they uncovered, the harder it became to determine who the killer actually was.
"Alright, let me say a few words."
Duanmu Huai tapped the table, signaling everyone to look at him.
Then he narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd.
Among the known characteristics of the culprit, the only confirmed one was that he smoked.
Aside from that, there was no decisive evidence.
But Duanmu Huai had never been the kind of detective like Conan or Sherlock Holmes who convinced others through logic.
He was better at "convincing people with reason."
"After investigating, I found some interesting clues…"
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai placed the torn photograph pieces taken from Arthur's room onto the table and looked at Arthur.
"So, Mr. Arthur, do you have anything to explain about this photograph? It contains not only Doctor Rose, but also the victim Mr. Williams and Miss Ethel. Yet this photo was found in your room—and torn apart. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"I have nothing to say."
Arthur still maintained his arrogant attitude.
Although when facing Duanmu Huai, he restrained himself slightly.
"This is a photograph passed down in my family. As for Doctor Rose, I had heard about her from my family before. Yes, I did ask her to provide me with some medication. But if you intend to accuse me of murder based on that, that's another matter entirely."
"Huh? I'm in this photo too?"
At this moment, the maid Ethel stepped forward in surprise and examined the picture.
"Ah… this might be my mother. I remember she once said she had worked as a maid before…"
"Alright."
Duanmu Huai set the photo aside for now and turned to Fred.
"Mr. Fred, you should know what we want to ask. In your room, we found a large number of magic circles similar to those at the crime scene. How do you explain that?"
"Of course I drew them."
Fred didn't seem surprised at all.
"I know a bit about mysticism. Naturally, I could tell that that strange and evil magic circle would bring about some terrible nightmare. So, to protect myself, I drew protective circles in my own cabin!"
A solid explanation.
Duanmu Huai glanced at him, then shifted his gaze to the final suspect.
"Mr. Bart."
He gestured for the navigator to step forward, then took out the pocket watch and tossed it onto the table.
"I'd appreciate it if you could explain why the victim's watch was in your suitcase."
"You—!"
Seeing the watch, Bart's face instantly flushed red.
He stared at Duanmu Huai.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Denying it is useless, Mr. Bart. Everyone saw me take this watch out of your suitcase. So… you'd better give me an explanation, just like the others."
Duanmu Huai clicked his tongue, his gaze fixed firmly on Bart.
Under that stare, Bart gritted his teeth and finally lowered his head.
"Fine! I'll talk! Damn it, I admit it—I'm a thief! I always sneak into passengers' rooms after they leave and steal small items. The people who ride this airship are rich—they won't care about losing trivial things! This time was the same. I saw Mr. Williams leave his room and head to the smoking room. His door wasn't locked, so I took the opportunity to go in. I saw the pocket watch on the bedside table—it looked valuable—so I stole it and ran off. Not long after, I heard someone shouting, and that's when I found out Mr. Williams had been killed! I stole the watch, but I absolutely did not kill him!"
"Wait."
Duanmu Huai frowned.
"You saw Mr. Williams go to the smoking room?"
"Yes."
"Was he alone? What was his mental state?"
"Uh…"
Bart thought for a moment.
"I'm not sure. He was alone, but I didn't see his face—only his back."
"I see."
Duanmu Huai nodded.
"The truth is already clear. The killer is…"
"The killer is?"
Everyone focused intensely on him.
Then—
Under their gaze, Duanmu Huai… spread his hands.
"Who it is doesn't really matter, does it?"
"…Huh???"
Everyone froze.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're all focused on figuring out who the killer is, but you've overlooked something very simple."
Duanmu Huai leaned back against the sofa, his massive body causing it to creak under the pressure.
"To be honest, this crime isn't complicated at all. The scene even contains clear traces. For example, those magic circles—the culprit drew them with their fingers. So once we reach our destination and report this to the police, they can collect fingerprints and compare them. Then the culprit's identity will be obvious."
"Then why don't we do that?"
A student blurted out.
Duanmu Huai shrugged.
"Simple. We don't have the equipment. And fingerprint analysis is specialized work—not something just anyone can do. So do you understand now?"
"?????"
The group was still confused.
Duanmu Huai sighed.
"The culprit's methods were crude, and they even destroyed the radio to cut us off from the outside world. If you think about it, the answer is obvious."
"The culprit isn't afraid of being exposed…"
"Because in their plan—"
"We're all going to die here."
As he said this, Duanmu Huai lifted his head and looked at someone nearby.
"Isn't that right, Doctor Rose?"
"Huh——?!!"
Everyone turned in shock toward Rose.
Under Duanmu Huai's gaze, she trembled and took a step back.
"What are you talking about? I've been with you the whole time! How could I be the killer?! Do you have any evidence?!"
"Evidence? Of course I—"
Before he could finish—
Rose suddenly screamed.
In the next instant, she leapt up with inhuman agility and clung to the ceiling like a spider, glaring viciously at everyone.
Duanmu Huai calmly finished his sentence.
"…I don't have any. I was just trying to bluff you. But now it's fine—you exposed yourself."
"…!!!"
Rose's face twisted like she had eaten shit.
She glared at him.
"Why did you suspect me?"
"Oh, it's simple. That photograph."
He pointed at it.
"The photo was taken twenty years ago. But you didn't notice—your appearance in that photo is almost identical to how you look now. At least Miss Ethel gave me a reasonable explanation that the maid in the photo might be her mother. But for you, there was no inconsistency at all. That means you're completely used to appearing this way."
He smiled faintly.
"And another thing—you might not have noticed. I never asked about your relationship with Arthur. You could've claimed ignorance. But instead, you proactively said he was blackmailing you for illegal drugs."
"You deliberately misled everyone into a blind spot."
"When someone commits one crime, people tend to think they wouldn't commit another."
"As long as you established yourself as a suspect in a blackmail case, suspicion of murder would decrease."
"Of course, this trick wouldn't fool the police—but it works well enough on ordinary people."
He glanced at Arthur.
"As for you… I have to say, that double act was pretty good."
"Mr. Detective, are you saying Arthur is also involved?"
"Of course. He's an accomplice. Doctor Rose is the main culprit. The whole thing was carefully planned by the two of them."
Duanmu Huai's gaze turned serious.
"So… if I'm not mistaken—"
"You're both members of the Silver Twilight Lodge, aren't you?"
"Too bad—you figured it out too late, you idiots!"
With a shriek, Rose flipped down beside Arthur.
Arthur straightened his clothes, looking smug.
Meanwhile—
Rose's body began to twist and mutate.
Her limbs became long and spider-like.
Her face split open.
Her jaw tore into two halves, revealing sharp teeth and a writhing tongue.
Then she roared at the terrified crowd.
"Nyarlathotep is about to return! And all of you will be sacrificed—you will become offerings!"
Screaming, the monstrous Rose lunged straight at Lorena, who stood guarding the door.
"Behold! This is the great power of Nyarlathotep! Before it, you have no path but death!!!"
She slashed forward with her claws, jaws wide open.
But then—
Something unimaginable happened.
Facing the attack, Lorena didn't dodge.
She stood firm, gripping the heavy holy tome in her hands.
Then—
She stepped forward.
Dodged the twisted strike.
Closed the distance.
Raised the holy book high—
And slammed it down on Rose's face.
"BANG!!!"
Rose screamed as she was sent flying like a bowling ball, crashing into the wall and collapsing motionless.
Seeing this, Arthur's expression changed drastically.
He hurriedly pulled out a pistol and aimed at everyone.
"Don't move! Nobody come closer or I'll—"
Before he could finish—
Duanmu Huai stood up and strode toward him.
That massive, terrifying figure—
That ferocious face—
Arthur's mind went blank.
He was so frightened that he couldn't even pull the trigger.
[You used Intimidation on Cultist Arthur!]
[Cultist Arthur is making a check—Check Failed]
[Cultist Arthur is Shocked]
[Cultist Arthur loses 1D6 Sanity]
[Cultist Arthur falls into Fear!]
"N-no, don't come closer!!!"
Arthur trembled violently, eyes wide.
He couldn't even fire.
All he could do was watch as Duanmu Huai approached—
And threw a punch.
"BOOM!!!"
Arthur was sent flying into the air, crashing heavily onto the ground and losing consciousness.
"Alright."
Duanmu Huai shook his hand and looked at the others.
"Now—"
"The case is solved."
(End of Chapter)