Volume 3 Chapter 8 ACT.44 Conspiracy's Shadow (III)
A letter, flung from the second-story window of a mansion, begging for help.
After confirming its contents, the two decided that the matter was urgent.
"Normally, the theory would be to gather solid evidence and then slowly grill them from the outer moat, but what should we do?"
"Let's pull back for now. There's no way we can step in at the moment."
With that, Rai turns on his heel and heads into the heart of town.
To see Rai not immediately leap into action after reading the plea for help might seem heartless to some, but the reality is different.
Now, the act of helping must be done precisely to actually help.
The sender of the letter is unknown, and so is the identity of the Reincarnator involved in this case.
"The suspects are 3 people."
"Lord Eltor, the maid──and the young lady."
Indeed, it's no exaggeration to say that the suspects in this case have been narrowed down to 3 individuals.
The 3 who live in that mansion.
Normally, the two young girls, barely out of childhood, would be ruled out for such criminal behavior, but against a Reincarnator, it's different.
With Reincarnators, appearances can be deceiving.
The timing of when they awaken to their past memories and personalities varies.
Sometimes they awaken at the moment of birth, other times not until old age.
That's why we discard the notion of judging by appearances from the start.
"Besides, the situation is complex this time. We need to figure out the relationship between the 3 of them."
What Rai is considering is the role each of the 3 might play.
There are 3 roles that can be assumed in this scenario.
The first is the Reincarnator that needs to be taken down (Black).
The second is the hostage that needs to be protected (White).
And lastly, the collaborator who, for some reason, has teamed up with the Reincarnator (Gray).
The position and number of each role card will determine the choices and methods available.
"──Well then, let's take a moment to gather our thoughts. The timing is just right, shall we head back to the church and grab some lunch?"
"Sounds good. On the way back, let's pick up something at random."
The church that Rai and the others have temporarily set up as their base in this town is empty.
Usually, the priest from the church next door to the town manages it as a side job.
Because of that, grabbing some food from a stand on the way back home was the easiest way to have lunch.
* * *
When the two of them returned to the church with a paper bag, they set up a chair and table in the guest room and plopped down.
"Oh, I'll go get some water,"
Noah said, placing the paper bag with the sandwiches down and getting up from his seat.
After waiting for a bit, Rai saw Noah come back holding a copper cup.
"You could have started eating without me, you know."
Noah said casually, but Rai shook his head quietly.
"I wasn't hungry enough to wait that little bit."
While Rai showed a hint of righteousness, Noah hurriedly took a seat on the opposite side.
"I'm so hungry!"
Saying that, without even saying grace, Noah bit into a sandwich pulled from the paper bag.
──In that instant, his expression froze.
Still holding the bitten sandwich, Noah calmly said,
"──This has poison in it, doesn't it?"
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