Part 29: The Great Court of Illusions V

Video: Battler VS Dlanor

BGM: Resurrected Replayer

"What is unsatisfactory about the court's RULING...? Do you possess any new evidence or truth sufficient to request a RETRIAL...?"
"...Gah..."

I get it. Dlanor is offering me a helping hand. If she hadn't jumped in here, it'd all be over. And now, I fully understand how I'm supposed to fight. But because I understand how, I am unable to fight right now. After all, I can't win by simply countering Erika's truth.

If I want to deny her truth, I'll need to present a different one... And I still don't have a clue what that truth is...!

"There is nothing that is not healed with TIME. And there is no truth that cannot be reached if you spend enough time SEARCHING."
"...However, all trials have a limited time in which the truth must be DECIDED. Therefore, a truth that cannot be reached within that limited time cannot become TRUTH."

...Yeah, I know that...!! By now, everyone is certain that Aunt Natsuhi is the culprit. It might be too late now, even for the real truth...! Aunt Eva's violence will probably go unstopped, and no one is even thinking about protecting Aunt Natsuhi. It's no longer a situation where we can say 'oh, the truth will eventually be found'.

And in this world, the time remaining to expose the truth... is very short. It's already 24:00, at the game's end. The police won't come. The truth won't be revealed! Only the truth decided upon here and now will remain...!



I slowly stood up, walked in front of Beato, and faced Dlanor. I have no plan. I don't know the truth. However, if I don't jump in now, I won't get another chance to fight...

The red used by Erika's group is mercilessly strict. I seriously doubt that I can put together a truth where Aunt Natsuhi isn't the culprit without violating that red...

"...Why the uncertain FACE? How PATHETIC."
"D, dammit..."



"I'll be the one to kill you. I want to keep that promise. And yet, right now, I don't have any plan at all..."
"...That's okay... In this world, there is no truth. The truth is made later on and overwrites what comes before it. Real truth... doesn't exist anywhere..."
"Now this is a splendid scenario, Dlanor. It just wouldn't be interesting unless a knight appears before the princess's execution."
"...And there's nothing better than watching heads roll before your very eyes! Erase the old piece and the unneeded player all in one go!!"



"D, dammit, I've got nothing more to lose... If you wanna see me struggle, here you goooooooooooo!!"

The only reason Erika's theory is so strong is because of those seals. She was given red so quickly just because Lambdadelta easily bought the alibis created by those seals. But the seals aren't red truth! Just sticking paper in a door crack is far from perfect. There's no way something like that can prove anything with 'certainty'...!



BGM: Final Answer

"Oh, and I'll mix the leftovers from your precious sister into that pile. Wouldn't that make for a wonderful stack of meat? Then we can wrap it up in a dumpling, steam it and maybe add some soy sauce!!"
"No, the best way would be to fry them in a pan with some eggs and ketchup!!"



"D, dammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt!! Can't we doubt the reliability of these seals of Erika's?! Something like wedging some paper in a door can't create a perfect alibi! It might be that someone noticed by chance and happened to put it back in the same place...!!"

The blade of my blue truth should have slashed diagonally through Dlanor's chest. However, Dlanor's expression didn't budge in the slightest, and there wasn't a single wound on her chest.

"I was wondering what you'd throw out there, but this is ridiculous..."
"...Allow me to explain. This is what I sealed the doors with. Did you think this was paper, Battler-san?"

Erika once again held up the thing that looked like brown paper.



"Furthermore, I wrote my signature, which cannot be reproduced, across the entire tape, as well as the door and the frame on either side. Therefore, it's impossible to tear it off without leaving a mark, and it's impossible to reattach too...!"
"Permission to unsheathe the 'Red Key'."
"Granted."



"I'll acknowledge Erika's seals...! However, Aunt Eva's seal on Genji-san's room should be different!!"
"Eva's seal was of the same type as <Miss> Erika's. That is because this method of sealing was one that <Miss> Erika and Eva conceived of together after DINNER."
"Erika said something about a scientific investigation and fished through the chemicals in Grandfather's room, right?! There might have been some kind of solvent in there!! If you used that, you might be able to tear off the duct tape without leaving fingernail marks!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. It is impossible to tear off any of the seals by any method without leaving marks."
"Please, allow me to speak. There were no suspicious marks on any of the seals...!"
"Therefore, it's been proven that nothing was done to any of the seals. Repeat it!!"
"Yes, gladly. All of Erika and Eva's seals were not tampered with in any way that hindered their ability to act as seals, such as being scraped off."
"...Dammiiiiiiit, damn you, leaving duct tape that leaves marks all over the place...!"

Dlanor isn't my only enemy. There's also her subordinates, Gertrude and Cornelia. And also Erika and her master Bernkastel. And even Lambdadelta, the one who hijacked Beato's game! Everyone in this cathedral is an enemy.

That fierce rush of red immediately repelled my feeble truth. It's obvious why. I don't have any alternate truth. Even at this final stage, I have nothing...



BGM: Patchwork Chimera

"...Gah..."

If I only knew a truth that could prove Aunt Natsuhi's innocence... If I could only make a theory that weaves its way through Erika's red... Dammit, I don't know anything!!

"...Do you have any chance of winning...?"
"...I left it at home. Mind if I go back and get it?"
"I have already lost. I am prepared for my fate."
"...I promised that I'd kill you. So I won't let anyone else do it. I'll definitely keep that promise...!!"
"Liar. I'll never trust your promises again."
"Huh? When did I ever make a promise to you and lie about it...?"



Beato let out a shrill cry, overcome with laughter. It was a broken laugh, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Battler's words would no longer reach her ears. She kept on laughing insanely, like a broken record...

"Is it OVER? PITIFUL. I truly am DISAPPOINTED, Ushiromiya Battler...!!"
"Hyahhahahahahahahahaha, hiihhahahahahaha haahahahahhyahahahahahaaaaaahh!! Kill me, Dlanor!! Slice me in half with that red longsword of yours!! Hyahhahahahahahahahahaahhaaaaaaahhh!!"
"Nn, nngaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhh!!"



"Knox's 3rd. It is forbidden for hidden passages to EXIST! As the detective, <Miss> Erika sealed all ENTRANCES. Passages that the detective cannot find are hidden PASSAGES. Therefore, there are no entrances that <Miss> Erika cannot find!!"
"I present the possibility that Erika's lookout in the lounge wasn't perfect!! During the two hours Erika spent there, she really observed everything without looking away for a second?! It might be possible for someone to have passed through the lounge during a small gap without at least Erika seeing them!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. Lady Erika's lookout in the lounge was perfect. There were no small gaps or carelessness or times when she looked away for even a second."
"Please, allow me to speak. Therefore, during their entire meeting in the lounge, only Rosa went up to the second floor!"
"But was that really Aunt Rosa herself?! There's a possibility that someone disguised themselves as Aunt Rosa!! Or maybe she was actually holding a large suitcase with someone hiding inside it!"
"Knox's 10th, it is forbidden for a character to disguise themselves as another without any CLUES! There have been no hints suggesting that someone had disguised themselves as Rosa! Furthermore, Erika has confirmed that she wasn't carrying any luggage large enough to hide a human IN!"
"Aunt Natsuhi was being threatened by someone!! The uninvited, unknown guest X is the true culprit!! How can you be sure that we are the only ones on this island?! The true culprit is someone else!"



"Maybe they were killed with poison in a remote murder!! Umm, with a strange drug that can make a cut appear in someone's neck when they die...!! That type of murder has a delayed effect, so even with an alibi-"
"Knox's 4th. It is forbidden for unknown drugs or hard to understand scientific devices to be USED!!"
"There's a chance that there existed a murder device X in the cousins' room and Genji-san's waiting room that made a remote murder possible...!! It had some secret mechanism that still hasn't been discovered, and-"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Anyway, there exists a culprit other than Aunt Natsuhi!! If you want to deny that, try and repeat in red that 'none of the characters shown were the culprit'!!"
"Knox's 6th. It is forbidden for accident or intuition to be employed as a detective TECHNIQUE!!"
"You say that everyone except Aunt Natsuhi has an alibi?! You're forgetting one person!! Who's gonna prove that Erika herself has an alibi?!!"
"Knox's 7th. It is forbidden for the detective to be the CULPRIT!!"
"Unless she's caught red-handed, you should never be able to deny the possibility that Aunt Natsuhi is innocent!! Can you even deny future possibilities, like if a piece of evidence X that Erika hasn't discovered proves Natsuhi's innocence?!"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Th, this tale is filled with malicious lies!! The tale itself has become a trap to capture Natsuhi! The tale should be constructed only from impartial truths!!"
"Knox's 9th. It is permitted for observers to let their own conclusions and interpretations be heard!"



"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Everyone committed suicide...!! So there is no culprit!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. All deaths were homicides."
"Erika didn't personally examine the corpses, right?! It should be possible for people who aren't the detective to make a mistake when examining the corpses!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. Know that no examination of the corpses could have been mistaken!"
"Then maybe there were body double corpses!! They prepared corpses beforehand that closely resembled the victims...!!"
"Know that no corpses exist except those of characters who have appeared in the story."
"Th, then why can you claim that Uncle Krauss is dead without his corpse?!! Doesn't that violate Knox's somethingth or whatever?!!"
"Know that the red truth is simply truth, and there is no need to provide evidence or proof!!"



BGM: Hikari

In the face of these insane arguments, any attempts to overturn the truth where Aunt Natsuhi is treated as the culprit are completely meaningless. Each time I brandished my desperate blue truths, Dlanor and the others' red truths knocked me down to the floor. It was getting hard to even stand back up again. Does that mean... my body is telling me that I'm about to surrender... to the truth where Aunt Natsuhi is the culprit...?

Their red truth is getting more and more perfect... Each time I think I can slip through a chink in their armor, Dlanor smacks me down with the red longsword of Knox...



"...Beato..."
"That's enough, Battleer... Now, the endless torture that torments me... no, us... will finally end. Let us fall together into the depths..."
"...Gah..."

I don't... want to see Beato like this... Her majesty as the ruler of the Golden Land... her enthusiasm as my rival... are completely gone. She's just a pitiful woman who's been trampled over and who has lost all hope, with tears streaming down her face and a tragic smile that I can't bear to look at...

"Does your truth no longer EXIST?"



"...And that is a different truth, where Natsuhi isn't the CULPRIT?"

...That's not it. All I can do is prove that Aunt Natsuhi isn't the culprit. After that, I can't show what the real truth is at all...

"...But even so, maybe at least you'll be saved that way."
"Why...?"
"...I can show without a doubt that Aunt Natsuhi isn't the culprit. However, I cannot show a different truth. If Erika's truth is dispersed, the crime will return to darkness, and there might still be room for you to exist."
"Yeah, if you can do it. But if you can't show a new truth, that means you're incompetent and useless as a player. I'll have you vanish from this game board for all eternity."

At this point, the Game Master is Lambdadelta, and she's there too. This probably doesn't mean losing a single game, but being banished from this game for all eternity for losing. From what the witches have said in the past, I can faintly imagine the place 'pieces' are sent when they're banished. It's known as the depths of oblivion, an eternal darkness that lies on the far side of an eternal oblivion and where there is no concept of life or death... I'm going to disappear, aren't I...

However, Beato will remain. As long as Beato remains, no matter how suspicious Aunt Natsuhi is, there will always remain space for the witch to be the culprit... in other words, room for Aunt Natsuhi to not be the culprit. As long as that space exists, someone will eventually expose the truth. It doesn't have to be me. Anyway, eventually, someone will smash this fake truth to pieces...! I understood that this was the time for me to abandon myself for the sake of this other person who would eventually appear, for the sake of the real truth...

"...Well, it looks like I'll have to break my promise to kill you after all."
"Don't. Don't leave me as the only one alive. I'll disappear with you. Let that be your final tribute to me. I beg you, if you just do this one thing, I don't need anything else..."



BGM: None

"Quickly, perform his requiem. That way, I'll have an open field in which to expose Natsuhi-san's sin."
"These guys really are interesting. Beatrice. Ushiromiya Battler."
"...But I've gotten tired of this. You aren't needed in 'our game'."
"*giggle* *giggle* *giggle*, ehehehehahahahahahahahahahah!! Do it, Dlanor!!"
"This is the END. If you still have one last bit of power, let me see you muster it now, in your last MOMENTS...!"
"Nn, nnnggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhhhh!!!"

It's small, but it's a sparkling red truth. The last trump card that Virgilia gave me...!! Erika... this takes your theory back to square one...!!

"If you can, why not go ahead?"

Take thiiiiiiiiiiis!!!



The red truth is simply truth, with no evidence or proof needed...!! This will make Dlanor stagger...!! Even if that's all it does, it's the first and last strike I can make...!!



...Huh...? My... red truth... was blown away by Dlanor's red longsword...

"...In this court, if anyone other than witches is going to speak the red truth, they'll have to construct an appropriate proof for it. Erika has been following this procedure, right...?"

True, Erika hadn't used the red herself even once so far. She always told Bernkastel, who is a witch, to repeat her statements...

"Your red truth isn't something you obtained for yourself. It's a supernatural truth given by a paranormal being. In other words, it isn't reasoning. It's no better than a random thought..."

I, in that case, if I have Virgilia... say the same red truth...

Where is... Virgilia...?



BGM: String Trio #600 Million in F Sharp Minor

No, it's impossible... I just have the truth that Aunt Natsuhi isn't the culprit... without any basis or evidence.

"...See...? Real truth... is a very fragile thing. Does real truth exist...? And is it necessary...? Even without it, the tale will continue on... Battleeer..."
"Come on, Battler. Prove the red you have SHOWN. If you cannot, this is GOODBYE."
"...Then, goodbye. Sorry, Beato."



BGM: None







The detective, Furudo Erika, accused the culprit, Ushiromiya Natsuhi. There are three riddles that the detective must explain.

The first is the 'who dunnit'. Who is the culprit? As previously stated, it is Ushiromiya Natsuhi.

The second is the 'how dunnit'. How did they carry out the crime? During the hour between 24:00 on October 4th, 1986 and 1:00 the next day, Ushiromiya Natsuhi went to the cousins' room on the second floor of the guesthouse and the servant waiting room on the first floor of the mansion. There, she carried out the murders. It is only possible for the crime to have taken place during that hour, and for that one hour, alibis have been proven for all characters except Natsuhi.



In that instant, Beatrice became a golden splash and faded away, and her former minions disappeared as well. As the heartless witches looked down at the cathedral's center, laughing coldly, all that remained was Battler, with the red longsword sticking through him, and Dlanor.



BGM: Spiral

"...Rest in PEACE, Ushiromiya Battler. What a SHAME. I thought you were a more capable person than THIS."
"...Guh..."

Battler blew bubbles of blood, closed his eyes slowly, and expired...

Dlanor stared on in silence, then turned on her heels when she saw his life leave him.