Everyone was sitting in silence in the living room where only the earl and the officer were drinking tea. The red-haired young man sitting next to her seemed embarrassed and quietly whispered.
[Uh, ma'am....]
[You will only refer to me as Mistress.]
[Huh?!... Uh... Ok... Mistress you...]
[Mistress Officer.]
[...You shouldn't drink so much tea... A cup could be poisoned.]
The detective's group jumped and Eris ran for the window.
[You knew?! What the hell is going on here?]
Old Leonord laughed silently and looked around.
[Haha, is this your work Sofiya?]
The green-haired girl laughed softly as if it were a comedic joke and answered while tilting her head.
[I'd be foolish to even try, I know for sure that earl Leonord has a strong taste for poison.]
[Aren't you forgetting something?]
[Ah, silly me, you dirty old dog.]
[Then is it you, Nadezhda?]
The purple-haired girl who was reading a book replied selflessly without looking up.
[If by any chance I were to kill the earl, it would certainly not be by poisoning. Perhaps holy water would be more effective. Kiss my feet.]
The earl burst out laughing, to the great astonishment of the stunned group who no longer understood this exchange.
[So it must be you Anastasia, I don't see the other bastard having the balls to try something like that.]
The maid serving sugar to the officer earlier winced as the red-haired young man sighed.
[No...I...I would never do that to the earl!]
[If it's not you, then it must be your mother! You decide.]
The girl was beginning to cry when suddenly a noise alarmed the room. Madam, the officer had just broken the armrest of her chair with her left hand while taking another sip of tea.
[All red-haired people are under my jurisdiction, now if you don't want to be under the jurisdiction of the afterlife, don't waste my time.]
(3rd rumble of thunder)
For the first time, a drop of sweat beaded on the forehead of the earl who, although playing with death had understood that there was indeed a difference between dying and Dying. He resumed a severe expression.
[Well, as I told you, the jewel must have disappeared a week ago, but it is the events of the previous week that I believe are the key to the mystery. Two weeks ago I received several visits from some low-level people, some who don't eat every day and nutty pastors, these people saw this week what they only see on the internet and after having learned the price of my jewel, the poor that lies dormant in them has awakened its potential. It was no coincidence that he disappeared the following week.]
At these words the elegant green-haired lady gave a distinguished diva laugh, the magical girl laughed more discreetly in her corner.
[Earl, how funny you are, are you calling me a nutty pastor? Fufufu, you always have a joke.]
[O~hoho, how shameful, and so much like you. You called me here, made me wait 6 hours, offered me gallons of tea that I just learned could be poisoned and now you're accusing me? To be a thief? O~hohohohoho. If it wasn't for you I would lose my temper.]
[Someone who has nothing shall not be afraid of losing something.]
The diva was laughing louder and louder, her laughter matched only by the bubbling of her blood in her veins. The detective was sighing, Marcia was dozing and Guy was counting his fingers. It was time for the detective to move the situation forward, remembering a detail he shouldn't overlook.
[....? Oh! You said there was an MC in the room.]
[Hm~hm... Yes, yes I said that, your ability to forget details and remember them bit by bit impresses me. As if some higher authority was whispering the answers in your ear.]
[Please earl...]
[Haha what? Am I wrong? Yes there is an MC here and more than anything I know who it is.]
[... So why did you move The Great Eris? I swear you're the worst human being I've seen in my entire life and I met romcom MCs!]
[Because I'm not gonna talk until you found the culprit... Even though I may as well know who it is... Huehe...]
The two detectives stood up, ready to unite to fight evil.
[The MC and the culprit are... Ready?... Rumble of Thunder 4... I'm about to reveal the name...Not the MC here, but you, yes you, the real...]
Suddenly thunder rumbled and the lights went out. The room was plunged into complete darkness, interspersed with the flash of lightning.
[No no no! I'm joking! I'M JOKING!!... AAAaaaarggggh.....hurk!]
The light returned, giving way to a macabre spectacle: the earl's lifeless body lying on the ground. The detective pounced on him and gently turned him around, revealing a face with a horribly frozen grimace.
[My God... He's... Dead.]
(6th rumble of thunder)
Marcia let out a cry of horror as everyone was shocked, the red-haired young man rushed at him.
[No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH...]
[Did you love him that much?] Nadezhda said without looking up from her book.
[How could you... He was my father!]
[Our father, and I thought you hated him.]
[That's another story...]
The detective stood up, facing everyone, looking annoyed.
[Could you all stop this cinema? There's been an assassination, which means someone here is the murderer!]
(Everyone gasps in sync.)
[It's not an MC thing anymore... It's a... Murder.)
(7th rumble of thunder)
[So... He was... Poisoned?]
At this sentence of his assistant, Eris got up and ran towards the door, a hand to the mouth, the detective reacted instantly.
[Stop that vodka fanatic!]
Marcia and the assistant threw themselves on Eris, pinning her brutally to the ground.
[Ты с ума сошёл*?! KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE GREAT... ouch... ERIS!!! YOU IDIOTS!]
[No, you played yourself, fool.]
[And I've already suffered enough with one detective so a second...]
[I feel like throwing up because I drank that fucking tea! Let me go! Or I swear I will...]
[Murder us? Like you did for the earl?]
At these words of the detective, Eris looked up in his direction. Those present were shocked.
[Wait... Does that mean...]
[Yes, I said the killer is here, and I believe it's you, ERIS!]
(8th rumble of thunder)
[Wait why me? What the hell??!]
[You kept threatening the earl earlier and stood up at the very last moment! The only person who could have killed him is you!]
[Nooooonsense! This crouton was poisoned, how could I do that?! And you were up too!]
The group looked at each other, the detective had accustomed the world to his ingenious deductions but once again the timing was against him. Accusing the one who is considered his rival? How easy it seemed. However, the revelations he was about to make would change everything.
[That's where you're wrong, this man was not poisoned!]
[WHAT?!] x Everyone.
[First, he died when he was about to make a major revelation, the person who killed him obviously didn't want him to talk. And then look at this!]
[Holly cow.] Marcia screamed.
[Holly shit.] Puella added.
[My God.] Guy.
[Um could you describe in words what you see? There are people here...] said the red-haired boy looking at the maids. The detective then presented the earl's chest where a large bloodstain could be seen on his clothes.
[This man was stabbed. It's a stabbing front, so someone who wouldn't hesitate to go front face. And who is the boldest person in this room?]
[... Puella?]
The girl jumped.
[Oi, you sicko! Who are you calling bold?]
[Weren't you angry because he made you wait 2 hours? You got angry for something like that, so you must have been so mad when he made all his jokes... So you killed him! The Great Eris know that you have it in you!]
[I did no such thing! I was angry because he knew and was laughing at us!]
The diva intervened.
[Wait, you waited 2 hours?! I've been waiting for 6 hours!]
[6? I've been here since yesterday!] This time it was the magical girl.
[See? I think a lot of people here are mad at him, you can't use that against me! But you... You threatened his life! Remember the pen you asked for? This must be the murder weapon! Admit it, murderer!]
[Eris just wanted to cross his name off our client list! Who kills someone with a pen anyway?!]
[Probably someone with a dangerous past.] Bonny said.
She observed the scene for a moment before displaying a mischievous smile.
[But... Speaking of motives, I believe everyone here has a good reason for wanting the earl's life. Miss Sofiya, Miss Nadezhda, Mr. Tomato, Miss Eris, Diva Leonora, and Miss Pink Elf. Especially the three first.]
[Yes!] cried Marcia in pure delight.
[Maybe more suspects, depending, that will be up to the investigator to decide.]
[... noooooo.]
[Your name is Tomato?]
[My father called me while eating salad. Can you believe it?]
[From now on You will be Redneck.]
[... Thank you Mistress the officer.]
The detective turned to Bonny, puzzled.
[What do you mean? Do you know things you keep secret?]
[Oh nothing really secret... These 3 are just the earl's biological children.]
[But then they are...]
(9th rumble of thunder)
The room was once again plunged into darkness. A scream was heard followed by a loud thump. When the lights came back on, everyone was in shock. In front of the stunned detective and a smiling Bonny, the earl's body was gone.
<6:38 p.m., 3 hours and 22 minutes before the tragedy>