After some flirting between you and me... no, after an extremely childish bickering, we finally returned to the topic.
"So, what else did you find?"
I asked after returning to normal.
"Well, I have collected some information about the deceased. In addition, the autopsy results have also come out. Which one do you want to see first?"
Manda, who returned to normal, replied like this.
"...Information during his lifetime."
"Here you go."
I opened the small notebook handed to me by Manda.
"The name is Shimuel..."
"Yes, Shimour Harriman, she was engaged in business during her lifetime... Even so, her social circle was unexpectedly narrow. She usually only did some small business. It is said that she was a person with very little desire to make money.
."
"...Such a person can actually engage in business."
"Furthermore, precisely because of her relatively withdrawn personality, none of the businessmen she has worked with have had a deep personal relationship with her - I think the chance of the murder motive being related to her career as a businessman is very small.
."
"Well..."
"Also, it is said that she rarely cares about profits and losses when doing business. Rather than saying that she makes a living, it is better to say that she does business as a pastime."
"He is a good old man who has no brains."
Don’t conflicts in the business world exist?
In this way, it is almost impossible for the murderer to kill for commercial gain.
"Aren't you surprised?"
"I think there are too many strange places. Which one are you referring to?"
"...Think about it, such a person with no business acumen doesn't look like she will rely on business to make a living, right? So where does her usual money come from? Don't forget
Well, the place she lives in is not a hotel, but a loft with a rent that is much more expensive than a hotel."
"It makes sense..."
"As far as I know, the deceased did not engage in other jobs, and the source of her income can be said to be unknown."
"What you're trying to say is...that unexplained income is related to the motive for murder?"
"Yeah!"
Manda folded her arms on the table, leaned forward slightly, and her eyes shone seriously.
"The deceased's surface social circle was very small, but what if she had hidden interpersonal relationships? Maybe... it was through this that she could have additional financial resources."
"That's it."
This may be the only way to explain it at present.
"However, this way, there are two directions."
"Yeah."
One direction is to investigate Schimmel's superficial social circle, and the other is to find out whether Schimmel has any hidden interpersonal relationships.
"I will be responsible for the social circle, and you will be responsible for finding her hidden interpersonal relationships."
"...Is it okay for you to be alone?"
"...I don't know, but it can be more efficient this way. After all, it only takes two months. Besides, I'm not a police officer, so I can't get the private information, so I can only rely on you in this regard.
”
"This, that's it... then leave it to me."
When she heard me say, "I can only rely on you," Manda's answer was obviously filled with a little secret joy.
"By the way, before investigating, why don't you first confirm whether Schimour has any family inheritance or anything like that? If so, your 'hidden interpersonal relationship' reasoning is another random guess that ignores the premise.
Oh~~”
"Well...! Of course I know this! And what about 'again'!"
......
After tentatively deciding on a preliminary action plan with Manda, I sent Manda away after obtaining Schimuel's personal information and autopsy report.
The autopsy report was written on several pieces of parchment, and the content was very different from what I expected.
First of all, there were no traces of magic being used on Schimuel's body. The only fatal injury was on the heart, and no signs of poisoning were found in the body.
And Schimmel was absolutely conscious when he was killed.
It is almost certain that an acquaintance committed the crime.
Secondly, the wound on the heart is very deep, most likely caused by multiple stabs with knives, the use of cone-shaped weapons, and the ability to couple.
I have confirmed with Manda before that the blood type and fingerprints on the murder weapon can be detected - I have to admit that magic and betrothal are really convenient.
So how to find the murder weapon...
Alas, my plug-in is of no use at all at this time.
"Can I only rely on myself..."
I stayed alone in the private room of the teahouse, holding my chin and staring at the messy information on the table.
"Hey, Gail, help me."
"...Are you going to give up thinking alone so soon?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Time is precious. If you have any clues, just tell me directly."
"You are becoming more and more rude when you speak!"
"As long as you can solve the case, it's not impossible for me to treat you with respect."
"I don't even bother to make this kind of deal with you."
"Hey, you are really in trouble~~"
"In my opinion, wouldn't it be better if you just follow the division of labor agreed upon with the intern?"
"I know exactly what I should do..."
I picked up the notebook filled with dense writing with two fingers and let it dangle in the air.
"I'm asking you what you think about the murderer, even if you just make a random guess about the murderer."
"...Are you overly trusting me or overly unconfident?"
"I chose to believe in you too much out of excessive lack of confidence."
"..."
Gale was silent.
Sure enough, now that things have happened, do we really have to do everything by ourselves...
Wait...
After all, I still thought of someone.
......
"That's it, you have to help me."
[The chance of Ferrinold compromising is 23%]
As soon as the words were spoken, the divine eye predicted this.
"... Detective, did you just tell me everything?"
That's right, that person is Ferrinold.
"I'm telling you so much just to get you to help me."
At this time, I have told Ferrinold all the information about the murder that Manda gave me.
Of course I don’t expect this fake knight to give any blockbuster advice, but there are still things he can do.
As a person with the reputation of "stalking perverts", even if I want to do fieldwork or interrogation alone in the name of investigating, it is still too reluctant.
Especially when facing people I may have stalked in the past, asking me to confront someone face to face alone... I will definitely lack the confidence.
Therefore, I must bring an assistant who can give me more confidence.
"A large part of this information involves privacy, so it can only be used for official purposes. Since you have listened, you must take responsibility."
"...Huh?! I didn't want to listen voluntarily! Detective, you just told me on your own, right?"
"The process is not important, as long as the result is correct - the same is true for this case."
"What...you used such an unreasonable method to drag me onto the pirate ship. It's really your fault. Detective, you've learned a lot..."
"This is not a pirate ship. You must know that I took a lot of risks to tell you this - don't forget that you are a suspect."
"Hey, hey, hey! Wasn't my suspicion eliminated in the last interview?"
Ferrinold straightened up suddenly - before that, he had been slumped in a chair.
"Oh? What question? Is there anyone who can testify?"
"Detective sir...! How could you forget so quickly?!"
Ferrinold began to help me recall the content of that day's question word for word, and I had not forgotten it, so I interrupted him impatiently after hearing less than half of it.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. In short, you and I are a grasshopper on the same rope now."
"Ahhhhhh——! Detective, you definitely did it on purpose!"
I'm glad to see Ferrinold holding his head and complaining.
[The chance of Ferrinold compromising is 100%]
Relying on good talk...or forcing him to get under the influence, I finally convinced Felinold...or in other words, Felinold finally accepted the reality.
"Well...actually being dragged in is not a bad thing. If it is done well, you can also get an extra share of the detective master's pie..."
So much so that he enlightened himself.
"It is also possible to take this opportunity to become famous in one fell swoop and then enter the upper class..."
I even started daydreaming.
"Yes, yes. Besides, even if I fail, the punishment will only fall on me, right? Just rest assured."
And I went with the flow.
"Oh, sir, has the detective seriously considered the situation after failure?"
"Of course."
"Eh..."
"What?"
Ferrinold's voice seemed to have changed its tone, but under my gaze he just shook his head.
"So, have you thought about where we should go next?"
"Let's go to the first scene of the crime as planned. Before I come back, I have already greeted the owner there - he also wants to solve the case as soon as possible and eliminate the negative impact of the murder on the loft rental."
"As expected of a detective."
"...Anyway, let's set off after dinner."
"No problem~~"
After the explanation was completed, I reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s too much to ask this guy to do it...
I took the information Manda gave me in my hand. Before entering my room, I suddenly thought of something and turned around and asked:
"Did you come out from the back door of the attic that night?"
"Hmm... It should be, the front door seems to be locked."
"The time was after ten o'clock, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
After getting confirmation, I'm ready to leave.
"That... Mr. Detective?"
"What?"
"Can I ask a question?"
"..."
"Detective sir, do you think...you can solve the case?"
"...Unclear."
The probability of solving the case is unknown, and there are too many factors that need to be considered. Pure detective novel-style reasoning will not work at all, because there are two more illogical things - magic and betrothal.
This is a very troublesome matter. There are not enough manpower and time. What’s more, the person handling the case is still an unqualified person and has no relevant experience.
Although...
"Yeah~~ It really is like this."
"Yeah..."
"But, Mr. Detective——"
Ferrinold drew out his voice, as if to confirm whether I was listening to him carefully.
"Someone died, Mr. Detective, this time, someone died."
Hearing this, I turned around and met his eyes.
Felinold leaned on the chair, crossed his hands on his chest, turned his slightly lowered face, and looked at me calmly.
Although he deliberately used a casual tone and sounded careless, he still conveyed his thoughts to me clearly and tactfully.