I tried to make sense of the situation.
In the pitch-black darkness, the only thing to see was the stage.
“Have you all been curious?”
A clear, resonant voice echoed through the brass tubes.
Standing on the stage was the same singer from before. However, she had completely cast off her mask.
“Yes! That’s right. Miss Butterfly, who has been enjoying the Pharmakos party with you all this time, was none other than me, Christine, the top diva of the Herba Troupe!”
As the singer spoke confidently and winked, a roar of cheers erupted.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Christine! Christine! Christine!”
“The treasure of the Empire! The voice of heaven!”
Those who looked like the bourgeoisie swarmed the front of the stage like a hive of bees, screaming without a shred of dignity.
The nobles seemed a bit better, but even they weren’t exactly staying quiet. Whether it was the security of the masks or the infectious atmosphere, they were also losing their minds.
“Damn it all!”
One gentleman, unable to contain his excitement, threw his fedora and shouted.
“Christine! You’re beautiful!”
“Thank you, everyone! Then, shall we begin the final song to decorate this night?”
The final song of the unmasked diva began. It wasn’t the slow, sweet melody that had filled the ballroom until moments ago. A refreshing high note, ringing with explosive vocal power, filled the hall and echoed as if it would pierce the ceiling.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ahhh! Christine!”
Crazy enthusiasm and cheers poured out. It was enough to make my ears ring.
‘Get it together! I can’t afford to be dazed too.’
It was a situation where a bomb could go off at any moment. I had to find Madame Moss immediately and warn her that the fireworks should not be set off.
But in the middle of this frantic party, how on earth was I supposed to find Madame Moss?
‘There are too many people.’
It seemed as though everyone scattered throughout the ballroom had swarmed toward the stage. Finding one person here was near impossible.
“Madame Moss! Madame!”
I shouted with all my might, but…
“Waaaaah!”
“Kyaah!”
It was useless. No matter how much I raised my voice in this chaos, the sound wouldn’t reach her.
‘At this rate, finding Madame Moss is impossible.’
I had no choice but to change the plan.
‘If I can’t find Madame Moss, I can’t stop the fireworks from going off.’
I didn’t know where or how many fireworks were placed, so searching for them alone was meaningless. The ballroom staff wouldn’t just listen to me, either.
In that case, at the very least, I had to evacuate the people. The most efficient way to warn them was…
‘That brass tube!’
The tube through which the singing voice flowed caught my eye.
‘…Is this really okay?’
No! This was an emergency. There was no time to weigh the pros and cons.
‘Since when did I care about the means to an end!’
I bit my lip and began to push through the crowd.
“Kyaah!”
“What the…?”
“Sorry, excuse me!”
I ran through the crowd, which was a mix of sweat and perfume smells. Toward the front. Toward that shining stage.
Some people cursed at me as I squeezed past, but most were so consumed by the heat of the party that they didn’t even notice.
“Kyaaaah!”
‘Damn, my eardrums are going to burst! Everyone’s got such lungs.’
I ran, ignoring the ear-piercing screams. Bumping and shoving, I headed for the front.
Finally, when the stage was within reach…
“I’m sorry, but you cannot enter past this point.”
Large men in black suits blocked my path.
‘Are they Madame Moss’s subordinates? Or the singer’s bodyguards?’
Either way, I had neither the confidence nor the time to persuade them. I lowered my stance and eyed my target. From now on, that stage was home plate.
“Sir?”
‘I’m bypassing them all and stealing home.’
It felt as though my instincts from my prime were returning.
“Sir!”
I kicked off the ground and threw myself forward. A slide right between the guards!
“Block him!”
But they were slow. The moment the guard reached out for me, my body was already on the stage.
— Crash!
I landed after a rough slide. The wooden floor of the temporary stage shook. The diva’s eyes widened, and the notes flowing from her lips were cut short.
“A-An attack…!”
As the terrified singer backed away and the audience froze, I sprang to the front of the stage and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“There is a bomb installed in the ballroom! Everyone! A bomb has been planted in the ballroom!”
The air in the ballroom froze.
***
Guards rushed onto the stage to drag me down. Just before I was caught, I shouted breathlessly.
“I am Detective Hayes from the Hayes Detective Agency on Crossburn Street in the Imperial Capital! There is a bomb in this ballroom—!”
I was dragged down from the stage just like that. I heard the singer’s voice from above.
“Uh…, a stranger came up and caused a scene during the performance, but—.”
I grabbed the edge of the stage and pulled myself up as if doing a pull-up, shouting again.
“Explosive—device!”
The ballroom began to buzz with unease.
“Isn’t he just a madman? Drag him out!”
“What if it’s true? What if a bomb really is installed in this ballroom?”
No one could ignore my words anymore. Finally, a gentleman who looked influential in society stepped forward.
“Hey! Let that young man go for a moment. Let’s at least hear what he has to say!”
The guards were flustered, but they seemed to realize that continuing to scuffle with me without successfully dragging me out would only increase the commotion.
I was released and brushed off my ruined clothes.
‘Ah, damn it. I told Chairman Peterson I’d return them in good condition.’
I clicked my tongue, realizing I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. Still, I adjusted my appearance to look as respectable as possible and climbed back onto the stage, holding the jaguar mask in my hand.
This time, no one interfered.
“Everyone. I am Detective Hayes.”
I spoke, revealing my bare face. In the dim light, I stood alone under the spotlight.
“I received information from a witness that the fireworks to be used at Madame Moss’s party may have been replaced with dangerous materials. For your safety, the fireworks must be collected immediately, and everyone must evacuate!”
A sense of disorder spread throughout the room. Perhaps they realized the performance could no longer continue.
— Click.
Someone turned on the lights in the first-floor hall. As the lights came on, the ballroom brightened. From the stage, everything was visible at a glance.
The people’s confusion, distrust, bewilderment, and fear.
“How can we believe that?”
One man, particularly full of distrust, shouted.
“There has never been an accident at Madame Moss’s parties! Besides, Hayes! I’ve never heard such a name in my life!”
“T-That’s right! Are you really a detective?”
“Aren’t you just a crazy person? How are we supposed to believe that the fireworks are dangerous?”
The room was filled with the clamor of the crowd.
‘Damn it. I guess it won’t be that easy.’
It would have been better if I were a famous detective. Madame Moss was holding me back in this way.
Just as I was wondering if I should wait for Charlie or Detective Baron to arrive…
“I know that detective!”
Someone shouted. It was a man wearing a peacock mask.
‘I don’t think I’ve seen him before, but who is he?’
However, that arrogant voice and flashy attire… somehow, he felt familiar.
“That man is the detective who caught the real culprit using my advice when I was framed for murder by some trashy detective!”
Ah, I remembered now.
‘That bratty Lord McDowell or whoever he was.’
I remembered using the good cop, bad cop routine to get information out of him. I had pretended to be the good cop defending him from Detective Baron when he was accused of murder. It seemed even that brat remembered a favor.
“Is that true, Lord McDowell?”
“Hmm. If he’s Lord McDowell’s benefactor…”
“It seems the part about him being a detective is true.”
The people gradually seemed to trust my words. But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“T-Then does that mean those words are true?”
“There’s a bomb here?”
“I don’t want to die! I’ve worked so hard to live! I can’t end my life in a place like this!”
“Madame Moss! Where is Madame Moss!”
“Yeah! What exactly is that woman doing?!”
“Get me out of here right now!”
The atmosphere was turning dangerous. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if people were crushed to death while trying to evacuate in a panic.
“Please stay calm, everyone. The bomb will not go off! If we just recover the fireworks, you’ll be safe—.”
But at that exact moment.
— Bang!
The door swung open with a violent sound.
“D-Did the bomb go off?”
Everyone fell silent. Someone even crumpled to the floor in shock, thinking the bomb had detonated. Then, a calm voice was heard from the doorway.
“Everyone. You have nothing to worry about.”
The person who entered was…
“Oh, him! That person!”
“He’s Madame Moss’s secretary! The one in charge of this party!”
It was the culprit, the one hidden in the black shadow. But she wasn’t alone.
“Mr. Hayes! Don’t worry anymore!”
Beside the culprit, Charlie was supporting Detective Baron, a bright expression on his face.
“I met with the person in charge and explained everything. The fireworks won’t be set off; they’re all being recovered!”
Charlie’s voice was so loud that sighs of relief erupted from all corners of the ballroom. The black shadow walked steadily onto the stage. Then, she bowed politely and apologized.
“To our distinguished guests attending the party, I apologize for causing you such concern. Every single firework in question will be recovered, and I promise they will undergo a strict inspection afterward.”
“Well, they certainly should!”
“I almost had a heart attack because of you people! How do you plan to take responsibility for this?”
“Of course, the culprit will be held fully responsible,” said the culprit. “The criminal who dared to interfere with Madame Moss’s party will be found through a thorough search and will pay the price.”
She reassured the crowd, saying the culprit would be caught soon and face severe punishment. Soon, people dressed in black suits appeared with solemn expressions, collecting the fireworks.
The guests felt uneasy just looking at the fireworks up close, but the culprit repeatedly reassured them that all the fuses had been removed and they were safe as long as they didn’t bring fire near them. Eventually, all the buried fireworks were recovered.
“Hmph… the amount seems to roughly match the fireworks I witnessed that day.”
Even Detective Baron nodded his head. Only then could everyone truly feel relieved.
That is, everyone except me.
“That’s wonderful, Mr. Hayes! The fireworks were recovered, and we saved the detective. Now all we have to do is catch the culprit, and it’ll be a happy ending, won’t it? It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Hayes!”
Charlie spoke with a bright smile.
“Hmm… my thanks are late.”
Even Detective Baron gave me a slight nod with a faint smile. But I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.
‘This is… strange. It’s too strange.’
I felt like a mouse caught in a trap.
‘What on earth is the culprit thinking?’
To Charlie and Detective Baron, the situation probably seemed normal. They didn’t know who the culprit was. From their perspective, it was like this:
The culprit had imprisoned the detective who discovered the fireworks were swapped, but I had freed him. Thanks to that, we quickly contacted the event officials and recovered the fireworks before a disaster could occur.
But since I could see the culprit, I naturally knew the truth.
‘She’s playing with us.’
The culprit had captured the detective, but she had given us a hint about his location so we could save him. Leaving the door to the prop room unlocked must have also been the culprit’s doing. The culprit had swapped and planted the fireworks, yet she submissively brought them out as if persuaded by the police.
‘As if none of this matters.’
Alarm bells rang in my head. I couldn’t understand the culprit’s goal at all, but the feeling that I was being deceived was clear.
‘There’s something. Something I missed…’
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
“Wait a moment!”
“Yes?”
The culprit turned to look at me.
“Where is Madame Moss right now?”
So much commotion had occurred, yet why hadn’t she made an appearance?
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