“We need to save Lure right now. The issue is the method…”
I deliberated for a moment, then spoke.
“I’ll draw their attention and lure the culprit out. After that, I’ll duck into a narrow alley again to make them get off the carriage. Mr. Walter, while that’s happening, please search the inside of the black carriage and rescue Lure.”
It was a plan I blurted out in haste, but I thought it wasn’t that bad.
“I refuse.”
…At least, it wasn’t something to be rejected so flatly, was it?
“Why?”
“I understand how you feel, but it’s too reckless.”
“If you have a better plan, please suggest it. I’ll follow it.”
Walter shook his head with a troubled expression, but stubbornly.
“It’s not about the plan. The very idea of going to rescue Mr. Lure right now is reckless.”
“What do you mean?”
Then what? Are you saying we shouldn’t go save him?
“Both of us are limited in mobility. If we end up in a chase with the culprit, we have no chance of winning. Of course, your martial skills are impressive. But what if the culprit is carrying a gun? Or what if the culprit who finally found Mr. Lure takes him hostage?”
“In the worst case, our hasty approach might expose Mr. Lure’s well-hidden location to the enemy.”
“Then what do you propose? That we give up on Lure like this?”
“No. Let’s reverse the order of events. Instead of saving Mr. Lure first, we catch the culprit first.”
Walter pointed to the diary in my hand.
“Didn’t you just say you secured an important clue?”
“…I obtained the diary written five years ago by the owner of the photo studio. It contained the information we were looking for.”
Walter nodded.
“All the evidence is gathered. Let’s capture Taylor John based on this evidence, and then rescue Mr. Lure safely afterward.”
He was right.
Now we had all the clues to catch Taylor John.
If we waited just a little longer, we could catch that despicable Taylor John.
But that “little longer” was the problem.
“So we just leave Lure abandoned in that coffin? Until we catch Taylor John?”
That was pure madness.
Just because we had all the clues, did that make catching the culprit so easy?
Proving that Grand Duke Wilhelm Eduard’s son was Taylor John and going through proper legal procedures to have him punished?
“There’s no way that’ll be over in a day or two!”
“At least restraining the Grand Duke’s son’s movements will happen much faster.”
“Even so, it’ll take several days.”
“We’ll have to hope Mr. Lure can hold out that long. At least three days. Considering Mr. Lure’s age and stamina, there shouldn’t be a major threat to his life for up to four days.”
“What about his life? He won’t be mentally unscathed!”
Trapped in a narrow coffin, unable to move.
Unable to speak, forced to endure in pitch-black darkness?
With nothing to eat, drink, or even use the bathroom?
‘Don’t make me laugh. You want to ruin a living person?’
Given the time it took Walter and me to get here, Lure was probably already at his limit.
I couldn’t leave Lure abandoned like that.
“I don’t care what you think, Mr. Walter. I’m going to save my assistant.”
“Ah…!”
Walter seemed about to grab me, but I shook him off and left.
I rushed out of the boat rental shop and wandered frantically through the crowded streets.
Of course, with my bare face openly exposed.
All around me were excited voices talking about the New Year Festival, the sounds of vibrant daily life.
…But I never heard the sound of the black carriage’s hooves.
After walking until my feet literally bled—no exaggeration—I had to admit a painful truth.
‘The carriage… isn’t following me.’
It felt like the roles of the game of hide-and-seek had been swapped.
Just moments ago, it had been fiercely chasing me.
Now I couldn’t find my opponent anywhere.
Hoping against hope, I even risked going to the undertaker’s house, but the result was the same.
Evening came as the sun fully set.
I wandered the streets aimlessly, unable to think of a solution.
Then, I heard an unbelievable story.
“I heard there was a carriage collision. A black carriage was completely smashed.”
“Really? Where?”
‘…No way.’
I thought it was impossible, but just in case, I ran toward the place mentioned in the story.
“…!”
They were right.
On the outskirts of a remote road, a black carriage lay abandoned, completely wrecked.
That was definitely the familiar carriage.
“Lure…?”
There was no human form to be found.
Neither Lure, nor Taylor John, nor anyone.
‘This isn’t an accident…’
The surrounding terrain didn’t seem damaged.
The only debris was from this black carriage.
Someone had completely smashed this carriage and abandoned it here.
‘What the hell happened? Where did Lure disappear to?’
Maybe Lure managed to escape on his own.
I hurried back to the boat rental shop—the rendezvous point I had originally agreed on with Lure.
“Mr. Hayes!”
Walter greeted me with a worried face.
“Right. I was a bit too much earlier. I acted like as long as his life was safe, nothing else mattered. I guess I haven’t shaken off my old habits. I won’t do that again from now on. So, if you really want to do something dangerous, at least take me with you!”
“…Where’s Lure?”
“Huh?”
I didn’t even need to ask.
I realized the moment I stood in front of this door that Lure hadn’t come here.
If Lure had been here, it wouldn’t be this quiet.
‘It’s one of two possibilities.’
Either he was taken hostage by the culprit.
Or he somehow escaped but couldn’t join us for some reason.
‘Even if Lure was taken hostage… negotiation with the culprit is impossible.’
The opponent was a notorious serial killer.
Not someone you could negotiate with.
In the end, only one option remained.
“…Let’s go with your plan, Mr. Walter. Prioritize catching Taylor John over saving Lure.”
But that by no means meant I was giving up on Lure.
If I had to catch Taylor John first to save Lure, then I just needed to move quickly.
“Let’s make it quick.”
I gritted my teeth and said,
“I’ll use every means possible to catch the culprit.”
Even if it meant throwing away everything I had built.
Before I knew it, the New Year Festival was right around the corner.
This year’s festival preparations had drawn complaints from citizens due to unusually extensive road closures.
But the imperial officials were confident.
Even if there were complaints now, it didn’t matter.
On the day of the festival, those complaints would vanish like a washed-away stain.
Everyone would praise the great empire and His Majesty the Emperor!
Seeing their confidence, some people were curious.
Most would have to contain their curiosity until the day of the New Year Festival.
But there were a lucky few in this imperial palace who didn’t have to wait.
“Everyone, I’m sure you’ve heard the theme of this year’s New Year Festival!”
The empire’s pride, sculptor Albrecht, announced proudly.
“That’s right. The Festival of Light! Today, I’m going to give you a preview of this special festival’s scenery!”
Clap, clap.
Two claps.
On cue, people moved quickly.
The gray cloth that had covered the indoor garden was pulled away.
“Oh!”
“This is…”
Underneath the gray cloth were various statues.
The sun and moon, a woman holding a sacred child, a legendary Milky Way pitcher.
Most seemed inspired by classical myths or legends.
As expected of Albrecht’s skill, every detail was flawlessly exquisite—but what was even more astonishing was that the statues were glowing.
Each statue was integrated with light bulbs that emitted light in different forms.
As if the bulbs had been considered from the very start of the carving.
“How is it? Truly beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. So that’s why you called us to the outdoor garden at sunset.”
Grand Duke Catherine praised Albrecht’s sculpture in an elegant tone while subtly chiding him.
Of course, the willful artist paid no attention.
He was waiting for another Grand Duke’s reaction.
“What do you think, Your Highness Grand Duke Kalan?”
“Splendid. Is this the legendary wolf that swallowed the star fragment?”
Grand Duke Kalan replied solemnly, but he couldn’t hide the blush on his cheeks.
The Grand Duke carefully reached out and touched the wolf statue with six legs and three eyes.
“I cannot contain my admiration. Your skill seems to improve every day.”
“I am honored, Your Highness.”
The sculptor chuckled in response.
‘If even this solemn little brat reacts like this, the other kids must be jumping for joy.’
He thought this discourteous thought, which he dared not voice aloud.
Then, from a distance, he saw an official signaling him to hurry.
‘Ah, got it.’
In any case, now was the time to stick to his assigned role.
The sculptor stammered through the lines he had memorized.
“Therefore, a certain research institute operating under His Majesty’s grace has greatly reduced the production cost of light bulbs and increased their lifespan. As a result, for this year’s New Year Festival, the imperial palace’s indoor garden will be decorated with these statues symbolizing light and darkness, and the controlled streets will be filled with streetlamps. Even when night falls, the streets will not darken. You need not worry about Taylor John suddenly appearing from a dark alleyway! During this New Year Festival, the capital will be filled only with light!”
Wooaaah!
The crowd responded with applause as they saw fit.
Albrecht’s shoulders slumped in relief, having managed to deliver the long speech.
Now all that was left was to enjoy.
But then, someone oblivious to the mood looked around and complained,
“It’s quite a magnificent sight, but it’s full of complicated, unfamiliar devices. What if someone accidentally touches something and causes an accident?”
“Haha, that’s why so many staff are walking around inspecting the facilities.”
“That’s true. There are an awful lot of maintenance workers.”
It would have been fine if it ended there, but the person latched onto the conversation.
“And what if an infiltrator sneaks in among those maintenance workers?”
“Nonsense. Everyone’s background has been thoroughly verified.”
“But there was a recent bad case, wasn’t there? I mean, what happened at Madame Moss’s party venue.”
Indeed. That place had also been full of light and festive atmosphere.
Until an unexpected incident occurred, that is.
‘I purposely moved the venue to the outdoor garden to avoid anyone associating it with that incident!’
Albrecht glared at the person making unnecessary remarks, but the person continued as if joking,
“Who knows? Among those verified personnel, there might be someone with ulterior motives?”
At that very moment—
Ting! Ting ting!
One by one. The bulbs went out.
“What? What’s going on?”
The indoor garden, which had been brightly lit by beautiful lights.
As the light vanished in an instant, the darkness grew deeper.
While everyone was panicking, someone finally noticed and shouted,
“Over there! That light over there hasn’t gone out!”
Only one spot remained lit.
The single beam of light in the pitch-black darkness.
In front of it, someone was standing.
“That person is…!”
The Grand Duke’s son recognized him and shouted.
“It’s Hayes! Detective Hayes!”
The rising young detective who had recently become famous.
He stood there.
“Sorry for startling you. Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize, but could you spare me a moment?”
Unfortunately, his words had little effect.
Most people frowned in great displeasure.
“Just because you’ve become famous, do you have no shame?”
“Do you even realize what you’re doing right now?”
‘What am I doing? I’m doing something crazy.’
Hayes inwardly mocked himself.
Not just anywhere—this was the imperial palace.
It was not a place for an uninvited guest to appear.
Even less a place to interrupt an ongoing event.
In the worst case, it could be interpreted as a challenge to imperial authority.
If this situation didn’t resolve dramatically well, he would undoubtedly face severe punishment.
Even those who helped him stand on this stage might be punished.
‘But this is the fastest way.’
The path to capture Taylor John and save Lure.
For that, this was indeed the best option.
‘It’ll be fine. If everything goes according to plan, everyone will be safe.’
Hayes steeled himself and shouted again.
Ignoring all the criticism, he continued with what he had to say.
“As some of you mentioned, I am a detective. The reason I, a detective, stand here is only one. To accuse the culprit. That is, I—!”
He took a brief breath, then declared,
“Taylor John. I stand here to accuse him.”
A moment of silence.
Then a confused murmur followed.
‘Of course.’
Taylor John’s targets were only high-ranking, beautiful noblewomen.
That meant either the people gathered here themselves or their acquaintances.
The people here could never ignore the name Taylor John.
Among the murmuring crowd, someone shouted loudly,
“Is that for real? Are you saying there’s a Taylor John among us? That lunatic serial killer?”
“Yes. You heard me right.”
Hayes rolled up his sleeves.
“The notorious serial killer who has committed countless murders over the past five years.”
He stretched his arm high.
“One who targets only noblewomen, using a unique self-inflicted wound pattern as his trademark—the darkness of the capital.”
He stared directly at the black figure.
“The identity of that culprit is—”
He raised his index finger.
“You!”
His index finger aimed like a gun barrel.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the direction his finger pointed.
A young man who had been particularly quiet today, sitting closely beside his mother.
The promising Grand Duke Eduard, who was in marriage talks with the beautiful Eastern Princess.
Wilhelm.
‘Finally…!’
The long-awaited moment.
The curtain had risen on the accusation play.