"…How could you possibly know about Lena?"
A bewildered expression surfaced on Ghost Elle's face. At this point, Tyler was confident of his impending victory, despite the somewhat dishonorable methods he would resort to.
"I not only know about Lena, but I also know that her remains lie within your coffin."
Tyler continued playing his hand, witnessing with clarity the gradual freeze of Ghost Elle's expression. No wonder, for as far as Ghost Elle was concerned, no one should know about her past actions, including her identity. Yet here was this young man, laying bare one revelation after another with an alarming ease.
But what Tyler knew went beyond that.
The matter regarding Lena began two days ago, when Mary actively sought out Tyler and took him back to her home.
Mary informed Tyler that Lena was a friend from her past. Because Lena's profession as a streetwalker girl was frowned upon, Mary only interacted with her privately and never brought her to Ira Village.
The so-called "streetwalker girls" were homeless women wandering and selling their bodies. After the "Great Migration" in those years, such individuals emerged in various places.
Perhaps because both were open-minded about "physical intimacy", Mary and Lena maintained a decent relationship. About two and a half years ago, Lena met with Mary in Ira Forest, informing her that she had an appointment with a patron from Luca Village. She intended to make quick money in Ira Forest that night. That turned out to be the last time Mary saw Lena.
The night they bid each other farewell, a gruesome crime occurred near the cemetery of Ira Forest.
Three middle-aged men from Luca Village were brutally dismembered, their scattered remains strewn over tens of meters. Even more horrifying was the fact that their skin had been completely peeled off, their headless bodies adding to the gruesome scene.
Following that incident, Mary never saw Lena again. She had a hunch that Lena might have been a victim in the bloodbath, though her body was never found.
What followed was pure speculation on Tyler's part. He believed that someone like Lena could not suddenly murder three middle-aged men, and neither did she possess the capability to do so.
So, who committed the murders, and why did Lena's remains appear in Elle's grave?
Tyler posited that the killer was Avril's Secondary Personality - "Elle".
Three years ago, in the wake of Elle's tragic death, an excessively grieving Avril unwittingly created a protective sisterly personality. Yet, from Tyler's understanding of Avril's inner world, she herself was unaware of the existence of this dual personality.
This meant that all memories generated from Elle's actions were partitioned off from Avril, with Avril remaining oblivious to Elle's deeds.
So, when Tyler questioned Avril, she could genuinely claim ignorance without lying.
As to why Tyler concluded that Elle's personality surfaced three years ago, it was because Avril had mastered "Manufacturing Occupation: Tailor - Lv4" at a young age. Tyler believed this was linked to her Secondary Personality - "Elle".
Granny Kana once asserted:
"Both sisters quickly became indispensable to the community—one excelled at growing fruit, the other at sewing garments."
[Quotes from Chapter 14: Dating and Psychology]
Elle manifested proficiency in dressmaking, while Avril was solely adept at growing fruit. Avril's tailoring aptitude unveiled itself posthumously — Elle's demise marking a curious timing. It may be more coherent to presume the emergence of Avril's secondary personality, "Elle", has influenced her transition to a manufacturing occupation.
Further conjecture of Tyler's suggests that "Elle's" presence primarily emerged when Avril was asleep, eliminating the potential for unexplainable memory gaps. This theory might elucidate why only Daed and Beeken observed "Elle" in the nighttime.
As for the incident where Daed and Beeken spotted "Elle" wielding a pair of scissors, splattered with blood, it could coincide with the grave homicide event in Ira Forest.
The nocturnal "Elle" encountered Lena being assaulted by Luca Village's guests. "Elle" intervened, executing the three men, yet Lena succumbed to her injuries.
Perhaps out of pity for Lena, or perhaps for another undisclosed reason, "Elle" interred Lena's remains in her own coffin.
As for the original occupant of the coffin, "Elle's" corpse had been exhumed by the time Avril conjured the secondary personality. After treating the corpse,"Elle" fashioned two dolls, currently serving as a hiding place for the keys in Avril and "Elle's" shared room.
However, the death toll by "Elle's" hand didn't cease there.
Village chief Woodall once mentioned to Tyler:
"Ah, in these past three years, I reckon about a dozen folk have disappeared overnight. I understand that ours is a village founded by wanderers, so such occurrences are common. But, you know, after sharing acquaintance, it seems right to bid a proper farewell before leaving, doesn't it?"
[Quotes from Chapter 19 - Hunting in the Woods"]
At the time, Tyler did not perceive any abnormalities. However, integrating various clues led him to discern underlying issues in those words.
Tyler speculated that a significant majority of those disappearances were due to 'Elle's' lethal actions.
A major predicament of a wanderer-occupied village is the uncontrollable quality of newcomers.
Fugitives, thieves, and individuals with unsavoury histories could masquerade as ordinary settlers.
And Avril, one of the few young women in the village, lived alone.
Who could guarantee the prevention of malevolence come nightfall?
Fortunately, Avril was safeguarded by "Elle". Those intending harm towards Avril found their demise at 'Elle's' hands, hence the presence of human skin and faces in the underground chamber — they were all trophies of "Elle's" victories.
Furthermore, it warrants mention that "Elle" stands as a remarkable assassin.
She has not only executed these individuals, but has masterfully camouflaged their demise to appear as if they had simply left the village, thereby providing authentic protection to Avril. For, even when the killed men are wicked, it still constitutes a murder. If discovered, the burden of this heinous crime would inevitably fall upon Avril.
This conjecture, Tyler believes, finds its most compelling evidence in "Elle's" mastery over a combat occupation, which bears the ominous name, "Murderous Phantom".
Nonetheless, Elle is, after all, a persona born from the throes of Avril's acute torment. Consequently, apart from shielding Avril, Elle possesses a certain pathological psyche — be it fashioning her own corpse into a doll, or transforming the men she's slain into balls. These are deeds far removed from the actions of a sound mind...
Tyler unveiled a portion of his ponderings and assumptions in a deliberate and measured fashion, rendering Elle — who originally intended to kill him — dumbstruck and temporarily motionless.
By reading Elle's reactions through his mind-reading ability, Tyler knew that most of his conjectures were accurate. However, none of that mattered, for Tyler's primary objective had been largely accomplished.
"I must concede, you indeed possess considerable skill," Elle began clapping her hands, "yet I must still dispatch you."
Uttering these words, Elle advanced step by step towards Tyler, gripping in each hand a short blade formed from disassembling an oversized pair of scissors.
"Hold, wait! I swear to guard these secrets, never to utter a word!"
"Do you believe I would trust you? ... You, a man who spews nothing but lies!"
Elle sneered disdainfully, her eyes brimming with contempt for Tyler.
"What... What lies have I spoken?"
Tyler was perplexed. In his recollection, all the falsehoods he had spun remained undiscovered.
"Avril confessed her feelings to you! Yet you feigned ignorance!"
Only when Elle voiced this vehement rebuke did Tyler comprehend. Although Avril might be oblivious to Elle's memories, Elle was intimately acquainted with every detail of Avril's recollections.