Stepping foot into the manor, I expect the Lord to have already fled. So then, why can I hear his voice distinctly on the second floor?
As I reach the staircase, I recognize his words as curses. He must be arguing with someone. Surely he didn't find Alice and Rika out yet, did he? If that's the case, there's no telling what he'll do to them.
As I rush over to the Lord's office room, the voices have already ceased. I open the door swiftly, but the sight before me is all too unexpected. Before me lays the Lord, who's been thoroughly gutted. Above him looms a nobly clad figure, a tall man with black hair. He's undoubtedly noticed me watching, but he doesn't acknowledge me. Instead, he stoops down to the corpse of the former Lord and grabs a ring from his finger. The ring is almost unsightly, with a chunky, multilateral, pitch-black stone at its head.
Adachi: "I assume you're not a common thief."
The man looks at me with a sly smirk and says, "Whatever gave me away?"
Adachi: "So then, why did you kill the lord?"
The man hasn't yet given me his full attention, as he admires the unorthodox ring once more. Yet, while walking towards the window, I sense an air of confidence that far supersedes my own. Even if I tried to restrain him, he would likely kill me immediately. He's nothing like those thugs out there.
Before leaping from the window, he says, "I simply freed a valuable relic from a man who knew nothing about it. Rest assured that it will now be treated properly."
With that, he leaped from the window with incredible speed, leaving me and the Lord's corpse alone in the room. Then, Alice, Rika, and their mother arrived at the door with the worst timing possible.
Mistress: "What's all the commotion about, dear-"
I watch as the three of them absorb the image of me standing beside the body of the Lord. The fact that I appear to be responsible for this nearly escapes me.
Mistress: "Dear... you..."
I watch as her face contorts from shock to anger. She then looks me dead in the eyes and says, "Murderer."
Alice can't bear the sight of the Lord's body and buries her face into Rika's embrace. Rika looks at me with an icy stare once more.
Rika: "Alice told me you wouldn't kill him. You were simply supposed to expose his crimes."
The mistress directs her anger towards her children.
Mistress: "Traitors!"
She attempts to strike Rika, but I grab her arm before she reaches them. Then, while restraining the crazed woman, I turn to Rika to respond to the accusations.
Adachi: "Unfortunately, I arrived too late. He was like this when I arrived. The perpetrator fled from the window."
Rika: "You can see how that's hard to believe, right?"
Adachi: "Look at his body's state. Surely you don't think I could accomplish that without getting a single drop of blood on me."
Rika: "But you have plenty of blood on you..."
I look down at my clothes and realize that she's correct.
Adachi: "Ah, that I do. This is from the guards outside, but I didn't kill any of them."
Rika eyes me sternly before her gaze softens.
Rika: "Fine. I'll believe you since you don't have anything to gain from killing him to the best of my knowledge. By the way-"
The mistress attempts to break free from my grip once more, so I drag her to the nearest closet and lock her inside. Is this batty woman really the mother of these two?
Adachi: "As you were saying?"
Rika: "Forget it. I realize that now is not the time for such things. So, what do we do now?"
Adachi: "What indeed...?"