IN GAMAND
NO. 11
W. Seolha
Let's go back for a moment to the day before the Crown Prince came to my room—that is, the day Kanna Ifgeny was murdered. So,
"What are you doing? Hurry up and write it down. Everything you can remember, don't leave a single thing out."
It was that evening. I formulated several hypotheses regarding the player who killed Kanna and Aria. More precisely, regarding a method to identify the player who killed them through the corpses. That was also the reason why photographs capturing the condition of the bodies intact were necessary.
So, you're saying you'll narrow down the culprit based on their occupation?
Well, I guess you could say that simply put it that way.
"…Is that possible?"
In response to Kim Tae-hyung's question filled with distrust, I simply smiled brightly and pressed him. "There is a way to do it, so you just have to tear your hair out to remember." Watching Kim Tae-hyung grumble and scribble something on a piece of paper, I slowly sorted out my thoughts.
Kim Tae-hyung is not the killer of Kanna and Aria. He would likely be quite hurt to hear this, but I had not completely ruled him out as the culprit until I had properly examined Aria's body. There was always the possibility that he committed the act while avoiding my gaze, and no matter how close we were, there was nothing to guarantee that he wouldn't stab me in the back. I never knew what kind of face he might be hiding beneath that smiling facade. Furthermore, perhaps because no cooperation had taken place yet—and with even the [Sub-quest: Helper] not yet completed—it was difficult for me to blindly trust Kim Tae-hyung. It was not a situation where I could trust him unconditionally. However, he is not the killer. It was only a few hours ago that I became certain of this fact. Around the time I examined Kanna's body after she died.
Well, I guess this is the limit of my memory….
"…I used quite a lot?"
That's a relief. Then, could you explain it to me now?
"hmm…,"
"Your head works so fast, it's hard to keep up with you."
It seems my assumption that Kim Taehyung had figured out my intentions to some extent was half wrong. I spoke as I slowly examined the list of jobs he had written down.
You kind of guessed why I asked you to write down your job, right?
Yeah, to some extent.
"I'm going to compare these jobs with the condition of the bodies to figure out who killed Kanna and Aria. That's why I needed photos that clearly show the condition of the bodies."
"Why on earth is there a photo of a corpse...?" I chuckled softly, as if Kim Taehyung's distorted expression was saying just that. I spoke while fluttering the paper that vividly captured the image of the corpse.
There were no other external injuries, only very deep lacerations severe enough to split the bone. The entire body was mutilated, and it is highly likely that the victim died from excessive blood loss.
"……."
So now, we just need to find out what kind of job can inflict such deep wounds.
IN GAME
Let's return to the present. To a situation where a knife is aimed at my throat, the muzzle of my revolver is pressed against the Crown Prince's forehead, and even Kim Taehyung's dagger is precariously close to his neck.
Crown Prince Kailos Chesla von Crea. He appears overly wary of and observant of those around him.
A210, The first letter of the alphabet and two hundred and ten blue piecesDid the Crown Prince really come all the way here after seeing the hint I left? My hands were drenched in sweat. The Crown Prince spoke first, without even removing the long sword still aimed at my neck.
"…Why are you here? And why is Marquis Lumian’s son here?"
If you came to my dormitory, held a knife to my throat out of the blue, and asked me that, what should I say?
"Well, even though I found this place, the fact that it is the Princess's dormitory is… um, quite a bit embarrassing for me, too."
Was he a player, or not? The Crown Prince was cautious. While he made no secret of the fact that he had gone out of his way to find this place, he absolutely never uttered words like "player" or "system"—words that could reveal someone was a "player." Like someone trying to conceal their purpose, yet someone hoping that others would figure it out.
"korea,"
"……."
Is the reason Your Majesty visited this place related to this word?
However, as someone half-convinced he was a player, I felt no hesitation. What other reason could there be for a figure of the rank of Crown Prince to visit someone’s dormitory, and even a woman’s room, at such a late hour? The Crown Prince of the Empire was a man free from even the slightest scandal. Since he was a person completely devoid of any bad rumors, I could conclude that there was only one reason he would come to see me secretly like this, deliberately hiding his face. I saw Kim Taehyung’s eyes widen. I paid no heed to that look, which seemed to ask, "How dare you reveal my hand first without any preparation?" and continued to gaze at the Crown Prince. His pupils were trembling slightly. The slight furrowing of his brow, the small movement of him licking his dry lips, the way he gripped his sword hilt again as if drenched in sweat. I was certain. He would soon lower the sword that had been aimed at my neck.
"…I am the Crown Prince, named Kailos Crea."
"……."
"Until very recently, he was called Jeon Jungkook, you know."
The cold blade that had touched my neck dropped. The Crown Prince pushed back the hood that had been completely covering his face. Golden hair—fine hair that looked closer to platinum blonde under the light—swayed and lingered around his forehead. His distinct features were revealed. I lowered the revolver I had been aiming right at the center of his forehead. Kim Taehyung also reluctantly put away the dagger he had been aiming at the Crown Prince's neck.
My name is Julia Bian Ortega.
"…Is that the original name?"
"I ended up forgetting my original name due to circumstances. If you are suspicious about my identity, I am sure Marquis Lumian's son can prove it."
My name is Kim Tae-hyung.
I see.
Kim Taehyung, who appeared to be full of complaints, approached with a sullen expression and held out his hand. Judging by the slight frown on Jeon Jungkook's face as they shook hands, it seemed Kim Taehyung had applied quite a bit of force. Soon, Jeon Jungkook completely threw off his hoodie and naturally sat down on the sofa. Fiddled with the cards scattered haphazardly on the desk, he opened his mouth.
"Aria Vienta, Kanna Ifgeni"
"……."
That is also the reason I came looking for you. Let me ask you something: did you kill him?
"…That can't be true,"
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I answered. If asked to their face, "Are you the culprit?" who would admit it? Everyone would deny it. I was practically bewildered by the occasional display of trust the Crown Prince placed in me and Kim Taehyung in his actions. If either I or Kim Taehyung were the culprit and had deliberately deceived the Crown Prince, he would be in a life-threatening situation. Of course, there was absolutely no such danger right now.
If you want an alibi, I can prove it for you anytime.
"No, I thought so. If you were the culprits, you wouldn't have been going around investigating these cases so diligently. It would be different if you had been hiding deep inside, but leaving traces like this, how could anyone think you were the killers?"
Jeon Jungkook spoke as he touched the stacks of papers placed on the side table near the sofa. They were papers densely packed with information that Kim Taehyung and I had painstakingly gathered. Had he at least skimmed through the contents in that short time? Only then could I understand the reason for the trust Jeon Jungkook placed in us.
However, whether he trusts us or not, our trust in the Crown Prince is a separate matter. We had no evidence that the Crown Prince was not the culprit. We could not help but consider the possibility that he might show us trust only to stab us in the back. I sat down on the sofa opposite Jeon Jungkook, still clutching the revolver tightly in my hand.
"Your Majesty, can you prove that you are not the culprit in this case?"
Jeon Jungkook said, stroking his chin. "To be honest—"
None, not at all.
"……."
I could prove where I was and what I was doing at that time, but the evidence you want wouldn't be something so uncertain and unnecessary.
"…That’s right."
"And you must have found a way to definitively determine whether someone is the culprit or not, instead of relying on such uncertain evidence."
"May I ask why you think so?"
"Surely you aren't saying you just left your dorm rooms scattered around without any plan, are you? Doing that now, after two players have already been killed, looks like nothing but suicide."
"then,"
"Will you cooperate?"
Kim Taehyung's voice interrupted me. It was a sharp voice. Even though I had my eyes fixed on my hand still fiddling with the dagger, I could feel Kim Taehyung's gaze scrutinizing me thoroughly, as if testing Jeon Jungkook.
"If you are willing to cooperate, I will tell you how. If you cannot do that, we cannot promise our cooperation either."
"Does that mean you intend to frame me as the culprit?"
How could that be without any evidence?
Before anyone could stop him, Kim Taehyung hurled a hidden weapon at Jeon Jungkook. The dagger grazed his ear and embedded itself in the wall. Jeon Jungkook's eyes widened. Drops of bright red blood seeped from his earlobe, which had been grazed by the sharp blade.
I merely stated that I could not cooperate.
Kim Taehyung spoke with a smile. It was a smile to speak of, but those gleaming eyes were filled with murderous intent. I did not stop him. Because I had seen the corners of Jeon Jungkook's mouth curl up beautifully as he stared blankly at Kim Taehyung.
Of course I will cooperate.
/
[Player: Kailos Chesla von Crea / Jeon Jungkook]
job: KNIGHT
style: No search results.
Level : 12
Stats: Stamina (LV. 7)
Luck (LV. 5)
Agility (LV. 6)
Intelligence (LV. 6)
Strength (LV. 8)
Passive Skill: Royal Guard (LV. 5)
Sword Booster (LV. 4)
Sword Mastery (LV. 5)
In progress: [Main Quest: Cooperation]
complete: [Main Quest: Academy] and 2 others
"Have your suspicions about me been cleared up now?"
"Crown Prince," Jeon Jungkook asked with a grin. I answered after looking at Kim Taehyung's sulky expression as he applied [all-purpose ointment] to the wound on my neck. "To some extent." It was an incredibly vague answer. Moreover, there was no answer easier to avoid giving a definitive answer to.
"Then, may I ask you to explain why looking at my status window serves as evidence to clear me of suspicion?"
"I have thoroughly investigated the cause of death of Aria and Kanna. It is not easy to inflict stab wounds all over the body with such a thin sword as the one Your Highness uses. It might be different with a greatsword."
"So, you deduced whether I was the culprit or not based on the condition of the body and my profession?"
That is essentially the case.
I had expected it ever since Jeon Jungkook held a knife to my neck, but I felt the ending was as anticlimactic as flat soda. It is difficult to inflict a stab wound deep enough to gouge bone with a long sword. Of course, it wouldn't be entirely impossible if Jeon Jungkook had used a skill, but having checked his entire skill tree, the possibility of him being the culprit was practically non-existent. So, he was excluded from the list of suspects.
[Main Quest: Cooperation]
Essential quests
[Main Quest: Academy]I have completed the.
Linked quests proceed automatically.
·
·
·
Time Limit: 6D 1H 17M
Remaining players : 6
Progress : 28%
Excluded players : 1
deceased player : 2
So, I would cooperate, but it wasn't complete trust. That was because countless unproven hypotheses remained. I stared blankly at the progress bar in the quest window. It was absurd that the progress had jumped to 28% just because I had formed a cooperative relationship with Jeon Jungkook, when reaching 100% was out of the question anyway since Kanna and Aria were dead. Especially considering they didn't even exclude Kanna and Aria from the remaining players.
I asked Jeon Jungkook, who was making a silly remark asking if I was originally a mystery novelist, and Kim Taehyung, who was still glaring disapprovingly at the wound on my neck, to return to their respective rooms. Unlike Kim Taehyung, who was hastily packing his things with a displeased expression, Jeon Jungkook kept prying into my questions.
"Are you sure it's okay to be alone? If that culprit happens to come... they might have seen the traces you left."
"Then you intend to stay with me all night? That’s the perfect recipe for a scandal, Your Highness. Don’t worry. Unless they overhear our conversation, they won’t even know I am a player."
What if they were eavesdropping?
"Don't worry about that either. It may look ordinary, but it is a room protected by double and triple layers of security magic."
"…You installed such high-level magic in the dormitory?"
"As you know, the Orte ducal family is a family capable of using 'such high-level magic' for the safety of their direct lineage."
"My older brother said it would be good to at least do this much," she said with a faint smile, causing Jeon Jungkook to let out a hollow laugh. Magic—although this world, unlike the modern era, allowed for the manipulation of magical energy to cast spells, it was merely a very weak power. Except for the innate geniuses who appeared perhaps once or twice in a hundred years, everyone possessed only a minuscule amount of magical power. It meant that the number of people capable of wielding the massive, powerful magic seen only in movies was truly few. So, it was no wonder she was dumbfounded. How many families would cast high-level defensive magic on a mere dormitory, not even a mansion? Unless they had money to burn, no one could do it. And the Duke of Orte had money to burn. Jeon Jungkook staggered up from the sofa and approached Kim Taehyung, who was already standing by the door waiting for him.
Oh, and next time we see each other, let's speak informally. It's awkward.
"Okay, I will. So, would you please leave now?"
"……."
He looked at Kim Taehyung with emotionless eyes as he bit his lip tightly to suppress his laughter, letting out a sharp cough. Faced with a clear order to leave, the two had to leave the room without saying a word more. Leaving behind a farewell of "See you tomorrow," silence finally fell.
Because Kim Taehyung lingered in my room until late, I threw off the dress I hadn't been able to change into until now. After finishing my bath alone and putting on a thin slip, I threw myself onto the bed. The soft duvet wrapped around me. My hair was still damp, so the fluffy duvet became soaked. It was absurd to think that I had never been used to doing things on my own, especially since my body had become accustomed to Mia's service at the Duke's mansion. It was a hassle; let's just sleep. Without even thinking about drying my hair, I slowly closed my eyes, savoring the drowsy feeling.
It was the end of a troublesome day.
/
[Main Quest: Cooperation]
Essential quests
[Main Quest: Academy]I have completed the.
Linked quests proceed automatically.
·
·
·
Time Limit: 6D 1H 17M
Remaining players : 6
Progress : 28%
Excluded players : 1
deceased player : 3
"what do you think about it?"
I answered Kim Tae-hyung's question while casually stirring my salad. "I don't know, either. This is driving me crazy." It was already the third time. Three players had been killed. Now, it was to the point where not only the Academy but the entire North was in an uproar.
Two days have passed since the promise of cooperation with Jeon Jungkook was made. And with another student murder occurring during those two days, the atmosphere in the school and the North has become twice as tense. Several families aware of the incident even argued for the Academy's closure. Their reasoning was that with an unprecedented third murder occurring within the Academy alone, they could not leave their precious bloodlines in such a dangerous place. How could they not understand? The Academy's students were the most talented of the talented. Even setting aside reasons like familial love, knowledge is power in this era, so it was likely a reason to avoid losing a single valuable asset to their families. However, the Academy remained adamant. They wanted to prevent the worst-case scenario of an unprecedented closure, if only to preserve their five hundred years of honor. Of course, outwardly, they likely spouted lies claiming the Academy was not in danger and that they were currently hunting down the beasts of the mountains behind, rather than offering the flimsy excuse of protecting their honor.
If there was a problem, it was that the Orte ducal family was also a family that was not inferior to any other in terms of information.
"Jin wants to go back to the Duke's family."
"…What about the quest?"
"I mean, I'm screwed. I didn't know that culprit or whatever, the guy who killed the player, wouldn't go out of his way to find me like this."
"……."
"It wasn't me. There was another target even before I left a trace."
Deon—that was the name of the male student who had died this time. As even a student of commoner origin began to die, the atmosphere at the Academy grew even more grim. It was indiscriminate murder with no known reason and no limited targets. Of course, the underlying premise was that they were targeting only the 'Player,' but to an outsider, it would simply appear as random killing with no specific targets.
"Calm down, there are still four days left, and there are definitely things we can do on our end..."
"It'll only be four days. If the other two die in that time, excluding Jeon Jungkook, you, and me, that leaves only the three of us left."
"…So, especially at times like this, you need to at least stay calm. Think about it carefully; Deon, who was the original target, is dead. That means the real next target could be you."
That's welcome news.
Since when did the fear of dying become welcome news?
"Um, over there..."
I turned my head at a timid tap on the shoulder. It was a girl I had never seen before. Shaggy bangs that covered half her eyes, and unkempt red hair.
"Yu, Yulia O, Princess Orte, you, you are, right?"
"…however?"
"Th-th-this..."
The girl held out a crumpled piece of paper. I put down the fork I had been stirring my salad with and took the paper. Thinking the trivial question of "What is this?", I unfolded the paper and narrowed my eyes.
Eleven o'clock, the East Garden.
It was Korean.
"…Why are you giving this to me?"
"Uh, I, I don't know! Th-suddenly, h-someone with a hood pulled up came over and asked me to, please, pass this on...!"
Did you hear the voice?
"I, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it was a man!"
My eyes met Kim Tae-hyung's. As I handed him the note while he gazed at it, he read out a single line written inside. A sentence where even the numbers were written in Korean, so that no one could read it. The meaning was clear.
Okay, thanks. You can go now.
"yes yes…!"
It wasn't a note from Jeon Jungkook. He would have come to my dorm in person if he wanted to, but he wasn't the type to send a note like this. Just yesterday, he had barged in without warning, and we had even played poker while chatting about trivial things. So, there was only one option left.
"It must be a player, right?"
I suppose so. But who is that?
"who?"
I'm talking about the girl who gave me this note.
"iced coffee,"
Kim Tae-hyung spoke as he tore the note into small pieces.
"Stuttering Karen?"
"A stutterer… what kind of kid is he?"
"There isn't really anything to say... He is of noble birth, but he stutters, so it seems he gets bullied often not only at the academy but also at social gatherings and things like that."
"aha…,"
"I think she's from a baronet family, Karen Caitlin. The rumors said she completely cured her stuttering, but I guess that's not the case."
"I see," I replied. Resting my chin on one hand, I took in the red-haired girl as she gradually faded into the distance. Watching her timid-looking steps, hunched back, and shaggy hair as she bumped into things here and there, bowing while repeatedly apologizing, I turned my gaze to the plate of salad in front of me. Unconsciously, I found myself wondering, "Why her, of all people?"
Once again, an inexplicable sense of unease overwhelmed me.
✨