章 306: C306
The group hopped into Reines' car and the vehicle swiftly whisked them off to their destination.
During the ride, Caules filled her in on the situation. It seemed his teacher had taken on a murder case involving a magus and was currently in the midst of investigating it. However, the killer's methods had proven to be quite enigmatic, and they required the assistance of Reines' Mystic Eyes.
Shirou already had a hunch about the identity of this teacher, given the hints dropped by Caules.
It was probably his old friend.
The sleek black car raced along the road, eventually screeching to a halt in front of a grandiose mansion. As the group stepped out of the car, even before they crossed the threshold into the room, a somewhat recognizable voice reached their ears from inside.
"...His hair was like a serpent's, and he met his demise through electrocution. It's possible that someone used him as a conduit to initiate the ritual."
Hearing that familiar voice, Shirou couldn't help but smile as he walked into the room, accompanied by the two others. Once inside, their gaze fell upon a charred corpse, surrounded by several people.
Among the assembled group, one figure stood out, capturing attention with his tall and slender frame and flowing locks of long hair. Positioned at the center, he gestured towards the charred remains, passionately explaining his findings, while the others fixated their gazes on him.
Upon catching sight of the three newcomers, his attention swiftly shifted to Reines. Locking eyes with her, he spoke with urgency, "Reines, I need your help."
"What do you need me to do?" she stepped forward and asked.
Shirou barely paid attention to their conversation, his focus instead drawn to Gray's face. She stood beside the young man, and Shirou found himself absorbed by her features.
Noticing his gaze, Gray reacted like a startled mouse, quickly pulling down her hood and taking cover behind someone, ensuring Shirou couldn't see her.
Though he caught Gray's subtle gesture, he chose not to address it, keeping his thoughts to himself.
His attention shifted back to the group of people gathered around the corpse, engaged in a heated argument at that moment.
The primary dispute unfolded between the long-haired young man and a woman in a kimono, their voices rising as they debated the cause of death.
"Isn't it already clear who the culprit is?" the woman asserted, her tone carrying conviction. "Whether it was the trigger or the hidden ritual, it's evident that he was murdered by his adopted son."
The young man countered with a question. "But what about the motive, Adashino Hishiri?"
She replied matter-of-factly, "Naturally, it's for the inheritance and the Magic Crest. From what I gather, the victim had no intentions of passing on the Magic Crest to his adopted son."
"I beg to differ. From what I understand, the son had no interest in pursuing the path of a magus. He outright declined his father's offer to join the magi community," the young man argued.
Adashino Hishiri posed a crucial question, "Then how exactly did the victim meet his demise?"
"That's precisely why we need to conduct a thorough investigation and base our conclusions on solid evidence. Rather than jumping to conclusions as has been the practice of your Department of Policies." the young man retorted.
Shirou's gaze shifted from the arguing duo to his watch, noting that it was 3:43 in the afternoon.
Not wanting to squander any more time, he stepped forward and voiced his thoughts, "You know, there's no need to make things so complicated. It's just a waste of time."
The attention of those present turned towards Shirou.
Adashino asked, "And who might you be?"
"I'm a guest of Miss Reines," he replied, casting a quick glance at Reines, who appeared troubled.
Adashino gaze shifted from Shirou to Reines before asking, "So, does this guest have any interesting discoveries to share?"
"Give me five seconds, and I'll give you the answer."
"What do you want to do?" Adashino asked.
"Sleep," he replied.
"You..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Shirou sat cross-legged and fell asleep.
The entire room was left dumbfounded, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Wasn't this person supposed to give them an answer? Why did he fall asleep?
The young man with long hair furrowed his brow, a sense of familiarity tugging at him as he observed Shirou. There was something about this young man that struck a chord within him.
After the brief five seconds passed, Shirou awakened from his nap and pointed directly at the charred corpse, making a startling declaration, "This was an accident."
"What?" The room was filled with astonishment.
Shirou pressed on, offering his explanation, "The victim specialized in lightning-based magecraft and placed significant emphasis on defensive rituals throughout the estate. He had constructed multiple defensive rituals underground, namely Form 1, Form 3, and Form 19. However, due to recent Leyline fluctuations in London, these underground defensive rituals experienced abnormal changes. Simultaneously, the victim was in the process of establishing Form 50 on the surface. It was the activation of this surface defensive ritual that accidentally triggered the underground ones, ultimately leading to his own demise."
"How can you be so sure?" Adashino asked, her brow furrowed in skepticism.
"Go down to the underground workshop and witness it for yourselves. The entrance is located within the storage room," Shirou suggested.
The adopted son of the deceased hesitated before reluctantly speaking up, "But the storage room is protected by a password set by my father, and I don't know it..."
Shirou calmly responded, "The password is 9837321, followed by the numbers of your birthdate."
The room fell into stunned silence as everyone stared at him in sheer astonishment.
They were completely certain that their teacher and Adashino from the Department of Policies were the first to handle this case. Yet, the mystery remained unsolved. How could this person seem to have effortlessly understood the entire complexity of the case?
It should have been impossible, but his words exuded confidence and certainty, leaving them with no choice but to believe him.
Adashino furrowed her brow and attempted the password, only to find that it worked.
"How did you come to know this password?" she asked.
"Since when can one magus inquire about another magus's secrets?" He responded with a hint of reproach.
"My apologies. Allow me to introduce myself - I'm from the Department of Policies..." Adashino began, but he abruptly cut her off. "That's of no concern to me."
A tense silence fell over the room.
Department of Policies!
It was the Department of Policies!
The Department of Policies was the beating heart of the Clock Tower. It had three main jobs: protecting magi, overseeing magi business, and dealing with regular people. When it came to those things, the Department's word was law among magi. Noble families would even send their kids there to learn leadership and form a political connection.
So the Department's name made people nervous, no matter who they were or what family they came from. This was true whether they were associated with the Twelve Lords Families or the Three Great Lords Families.
And yet, this particular person seemed entirely indifferent to their reputation and influence.
Reines wasn't surprised by this revelation, as she was aware of Shirou's identity and the unique connections he had, including how he could casually joke around with Lord Zelretch. However, the others were unaware, which explained their astonishment.
"It's really you... Fujimaru Shirou!" the young man with black, flowing hair exclaimed as he gazed at Shirou.
Shirou responded with a smile, confirming his identity, "That's right. It's been a while, Waver Velvet."
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