Possessed in a Thousand Novels

4. Detective Intrusion (3)

Everyone’s eyes focused on the person Siwoo pointed at.

At that time, a single scream rang out.

“No!”

The main character of the scream was Veronica.

She desperately clung to Siwoo.

“No. Detective. No. Not really. “That can’t be possible.”

Her face was extremely pale.

The eyes that wanted to deny the truth were constantly shaking.

So Siwoo deliberately spoke colder.

“Please calm down. Ma’am.”

Veronica, who sensed that Siwoo’s conclusion could never change from his cold tone, sat down as if she had lost her mind.

Siwoo continued calmly.

“I’m not saying he was the one who killed Mr. Bruno. “He is the person who created the motive for the crime that killed Mr. Bruno.”

“No matter what, no matter what… How…”

Veronica fell to her floor and wailed.

“How could my daughter be a criminal…? …”

Veronica whimpered and lowered her head as if no more words could come out.

Simon and Jerome’s expressions became sad when they saw that.

On the other hand, Charlotte, the daughter who was pointed out as the culprit, had a peaceful expression, with only her legs feeling weak. She didn’t seem to really realize what was happening.

Charlotte mechanically looked up at Siwoo.

“Is it really because of me?”

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Uh.”

“Wait, wait.”

Simon got between Siu and Charlotte.

“I heard the interview, too, but I don’t understand. “How on earth could Charlotte be the culprit?”

Seeing Simon’s puzzled expression, Siwoo smiled in remorse.

“To explain that, we need to take a closer look at Mr. Bruno’s health.”

“Health?”

“That’s right. Your wife said it. Mr. Bruno’s headaches have gotten worse lately, he can’t taste things properly, and he’s very nervous. “We can draw one conclusion from this.”

“Isn’t it just an ordinary disease? When you’re sick, you usually get a worse headache, lose your appetite, and naturally become more sensitive and nervous…”

“Of course it is. However, it is a different story if there is no fever, the illness has persisted for a long time, and no one in the person’s family has become infected.”

Siwoo walked through the living room.

Everyone’s eyes followed Siwoo.

“Mr. Bruno last met his ‘friend’ two days ago, and the number of days he meets his ‘friend’ has increased recently. There is no way to express that we only met once or twice frequently, so at best, it has been more than two weeks since Mr. Bruno started seeing his ‘friend’ often. Veronica. Is that correct?”

“Yes. That’s right. And the headache…”

“At least a month. “You must have suffered more than that.”

“… Yes.”

And crucially.

There are goddesses in this world, but no one uses divine power.

Cure the diseaseThe only way to do this is natural healing.

Nevertheless, every time Bruno met a ‘friend’, his symptoms eased.

What do all these clues point to?

“Now, if you do this, the identity of the illness Mr. Bruno suffered from will become clear. “It is a disease that is not contagious to anyone, and the symptoms are alleviated only on the day you meet a ‘friend.'”

“And crucially, a disease that makes you unable to feel ‘taste’. In other words, unlike most illnesses that only leave one unable to smell, it is a disease that causes one to lose one’s sense of taste. “There is only one such disease.”

Drug addiction.

Withdrawal symptoms.

The crowd trembled at the two words Siwoo spoke in a whisper.

“Mr. Bruno spent a lot of money every time he met a ‘friend.’ Why? Because he bought drugs.”

“Every time Mr. Bruno met his ‘friend,’ his symptoms eased. Why? Because the withdrawal symptoms have resolved.”

“Mr. Bruno has recently started seeing his ‘friend’ more often. Why? “This is because my drug addiction got worse and I needed to inhale drugs more frequently.”

Outside the window, it was dark with dark clouds since midday.

At the same time, the gloomy atmosphere in the house fueled the audience’s fears.

Jerome, buried in that creepy darkness, barely managed to ask.

“But… It has nothing to do with Charlotte, does it?”

“It’s not like that. “Charlotte was the one who informed Bruno that he had drugs.”

“… !”

“Now, let’s take a look at what happened two days ago here. Veronica lost her oranges and sponges, and Mr. Bruno lost one of the parchments he had been working on. Marco. What can you do with oranges and sponges?”

“With orange juice… “You can erase writing on parchment.”

“That’s it.”

Siwoo snapped his fingers.

“At the same time, Mr. Bruno was away two days ago to meet a ‘friend’. “In the meantime, he can go into the studio, erase a piece of parchment, and write something new.”

“Are you saying the person who did that was my brother?”

“That’s right. Charlotte said it too. ‘I know how to do it.’ Parchment, oranges, and sponges are all tools used by criminals. If you are a criminal, there is no reason to state something that could be a clue to your reasoning. In other words, Veronica and Marco are not the culprits, so the only one left is Charlotte.”

Marco swallowed his voice.

Even though he had always maintained his composure, it was difficult for him to remain calm even in this situation.

Jerome, who was watching Siwoo’s reasoning, said.

“Then… “The problem lies in what is written on the parchment.”

“That’s right.”

Siwoo nodded his head.

“Charlotte thought Mr. Bruno was a very bad father. And that is indeed true. “If a father who is addicted to drugs and does not take care of his family is not bad, then what is bad?”

“But Charlotte is just a little girl, about ten years old. “What kind of help would Charlotte need to punish her father?”

“He is an outsider. “He is also scarier and worse than Mr. Bruno.”

Siwoo squatted down and was at eye level with Charlotte.

The gazes they faced each other contained empathy. Even though it was built up from reading novels from other worlds,Even if it was a one-sided understanding, the weight it contained was by no means light.

Charlotte, who received his gaze, brought her knees together. A defensive posture intoxicated by emotions I was encountering for the first time in my life. Siwoo smiled kindly at Charlotte and asked.

“Charlotte. “What did the demon think?”

Charlotte spoke while looking down at the floor.

“It’s scarier and worse than my dad… “He’s that kind of guy.”

In the end, the problem came from ignorance.

Ignorance can lead to fear, but it can also lead to recklessness.

“Charlotte. “What words did you write on the parchment?”

“My dad doesn’t have a good sense of taste these days, he gets irritable often, and hits his mom…” … Just meeting friends… So, the demon man came and told me to scold him. “That’s how I hung the parchment behind the house.”

“Okay. “Thank you for your answer.”

Siwoo stroked Charlotte’s head.

Charlotte buried her face in his knees helplessly.

“There were no major problems up to this point. There were probably many demons who saw the letter, but there were no demons who wanted to come in person. “For demons to come into contact with humans, they have to risk death.”

Demons can only live within the shadows during the day, and can only operate outside the shadows at night.

However, humans live at home at night.

And from the moment the moon rises and the moment the night begins, the house is blessed by the goddess.

In other words, demons that try to contact humans are trapped in the house and disappear.

So demons and humans have tried to avoid contact with each other. Because I don’t want to die. Therefore, humans in this world have no experience of encountering demons.

The ‘closing’ effect of the goddess’s blessing even blocks the view from the window.

“But things change when one of the demons who would risk her own death sees the letter.”

“A demon who is addicted to drugs just like Mr. Bruno, and can guess that Mr. Bruno has drugs just by saying ‘I can’t taste it.'”

The drugs of this world are not drugs, but drugs. It means a medicine originally used by demons. Of course, there are drug addicts even among the demons.

And a severe drug addict is bound to lose his mind. To the point where they break into people’s homes even though they know they will die.

“Two nights ago, a demon addicted to drugs found a letter. And yesterday during the day, the demon came into the house hiding in Mr. Bruno’s shadow and hid in the bedroom.”

“And last night, the demon came into the bedroom, threatened Mr. Bruno, found out the location of the drugs, inhaled them, and killed Mr. Bruno in a state of excitement. That’s why the body was mutilated like that.”

“And then the sun rose, and the demons disappeared.”

“This is the whole story.”

As soon as the reasoning was over, sunlight poured in outside the window like a lie.

Veronica hugged Charlotte and cried. Even they themselves would not have been able to understand the complex emotions that intersected between her mother and daughter.

Simon, who seemed to be surprisingly sensitive, wiped away his tears and sniffled, while Jerome next to him just sighed.

Marco asked, trying to act alone.

“Then… “Is my brother guilty?”

Siwoo shook his head resolutely.

“No. Charlotte was just a child.A child who didn’t know anything and just did the best he could… “You can’t absolve yourself of a crime by being ignorant, but you can’t hold Charlotte guilty even though she didn’t commit the crime herself.”

“Is that so… “That’s a good thing.”

Marco finally lost his strength and sat down.

The empty silence in the living room was like the air from an airbag. In that it is empty, which cushions the impact.

In that silence, Jerome, who was sighing in silence, asked a question.

“Detective. So is this the end of this incident?”

“No. “We need to catch the drug dealer who sold drugs to Mr. Bruno.”

“But how can I… When I have no clue?” …”

“It’s possible. “I just need one person’s help.”

With Jerome tilting his head, Siwoo sat on his chair with his legs crossed, swinging his toes like a pendulum.

The time has come, Siwoo thought.

The door burst open.

“I came here after hearing that a murder had occurred… “There is one suspicious person.”

The woman who opened the door had blonde hair that seemed to capture the light of the sun and eyes as blue as the sea.

She walked steadily towards Si-woo, wearing the armor she always wore.

She is the last female knight of the fallen empire.

And even though they have been released and are active freely, they still maintain the status of ‘prisoners’.

The main character of this novel was ‘Isabel Esmeralda.’

She walked up to Siwoo and opened her lips bluntly.

“Let me ask you, who are you?”

Siwoo admired her figure and smiled leisurely as he looked up at her.

The appearance was extremely suspicious, as if it had been painted.

“My name is Siwoo, I’m a detective.”

The suspiciousness was further amplified by lines that seemed to fit a voice-modulated bow tie.