Symphony for the Insect Princess

The two women were stunned, and the atmosphere eased a little.

Indeed, why would Shadow Servant's body be hidden there? Hiding it in a place like a closet would be immediately discovered if the crime scene was further investigated. It's definitely not a good place to hide a body.

"Really? Calm down! The murderer must have deliberately hidden the body in a place where we can easily find it. This way, we can eliminate the two most suspicious Shadow Guardians and turn the suspicion to our own people! The murderer did this to cause us to fight among ourselves!"

No one responded for a moment.

"..."

I looked at the others, cleared my throat, and continued:

"...In other words, there are still two possibilities. The murderer could be one of us, or someone other than us and Shadow Servant, still hiding in the shadows and observing us. If it's the former, then we really need to be wary of each other. If it's the latter...his strategy of sowing discord has indeed been effective."

"...That's right."

York gave me a slightly approving look, and I politely accepted it.

But then Lillian suddenly jumped up and pointed at me, her expression furious. "So... aren't you the biggest suspect? You might even be the murderer!"

Everyone else was confused, but Lillian kept on babbleing.

"Right, right, everyone? Because the body was discovered by her disgusting bug! Maybe this was a trap! And what's that called? It's a loophole in reverse reasoning, right? Usually, the one who discovers the body is the murderer, right?"

““““““…”””””””

"Right? I think we should take her right now—"

"——That's enough, calm down, Lillian!"

Before York could speak, Ellen silenced her.

"how--"

"Just because a body was found means it's the murderer? That doesn't make sense at all! I know you two have always had a bad relationship, but now is not the time to throw tantrums!"

"Woo..."

"Okay, okay, Lillian is just scared, right? Don't yell at her, Ellen." Anhans couldn't help but come out to save the beauty, and did not forget to wink at Lillian.

"Anhans... Oh, forget it, it's getting more and more annoying... Tsk! What should we do now? How should we act? After all, why do the direct descendants of the Zelah family insist on living in the suburbs so far away from the city? If there were other houses nearby, even if there were a barrier blocking them, they would still be able to seek help from the outside world!"

"Yeah...why..."

Molly, who had been shaking non-stop, suddenly spoke up, and everyone's attention immediately focused on her. Startled, she quickly waved her hands and explained, "S-Sorry! I was just saying it casually... Actually, I've always found it a little strange why you... the direct descendants of the Zelah family have to live in such a remote place..."

"...It's not important, is it?" York responded casually, seeming a little impatient.

"--It's a bit strange indeed," Anhans continued. "Our Forion family and the direct descendants of their Zahn family are all in the city, not too far from the other branch families and close relatives. It's convenient for us to go out and do business and transport daily necessities. Why is it that only the Zelah family is acting so strangely?"

York interrupted him forcefully, impatiently saying, "I've already said this isn't important anymore! What we should do now is figure out if the murderer is one of us, and try to restore the truth of what happened last night!"

“It’s easy to say, but how to do it?”

"Boundary recording station! Although the barrier recording station on the top floor cannot control the barrier, it can record all the information it sends back. If any outsiders have entered or left the mansion since last night, a record will definitely be left!"

Chapter 7 Acting

"So…we're heading to the top floor now?"

"The information provided by the barrier can only be found through the barrier record table."

"Even so, the murderer wouldn't be so foolish as to leave the recording table unattended," Anhans looked at York as if he were an idiot. "If the recording table were left recording information, wouldn't the murderer be half-exposed?"

"Everyone knows this, but to be on the safe side, we can't just leave it alone. We might also find new clues."

York wanted to persuade Anhans, who had his own opinions, but Anhans obviously disagreed with him.

"I think this is a trap. Think about it. Uncle Crafa was killed, the manor was sealed by the barrier, and the two shadow servants we originally suspected were also dead. We are completely helpless. In this state, as long as we see even a seemingly feasible solution, we will desperately rush forward. This is called... uh..."

“…It’s a kind of suggestion effect.”

Anhans immediately turned in the direction of the voice, but seemed disappointed when he found that it was me who answered.

"When people are depressed and frustrated, they also lack a sense of security, their psychological dependence increases, and their susceptibility to suggestion increases. In this situation, even the slightest comfort or glimpse of hope can be a strong source of spiritual comfort, leading them to believe in it without a doubt."

““““““…”””””””

Feeling the awkwardness of the atmosphere, I fell silent.

He looked at York with a questioning look, and York frowned slightly.

I immediately changed my mind.

"But... what Brother York said makes sense. What we need to avoid now is stagnation. If we don't do something, we won't be able to make further progress..."

"...Well, that's right. This level of investigation is necessary," York said.

"But this might be something the murderer deliberately arranged. He knew we would definitely investigate the recording desk, so he might have set a trap there or left some wrong information." Anhans was still worried. Although he said that more than half of the purpose of this was to show off his strength, it did make sense.

"How about this? Some people go to the top floor, and the other part stays in the lobby." Allen proposed a compromise.

"That should be possible!" Lukes agreed. "Let one of the strongest people here, Ellen or Dorothy, lead the team to the top floor, and the other stay in the hall to protect the rest."

"But in this case... uh..."

Molly weakly tried to say something, but stopped mid-sentence.

But we understand her point.

Now, the murderer could be any one of us.

In other words, Ellen and Dorothy are also suspects.

If one of them were allowed to get along with others while the other went somewhere else, what if the one left behind was the murderer...

"I know it's not nice to say this, but it's better for Ellen and Dorothy to stay together. This way... they can keep each other in check." York hesitated, but still told the truth.

"……snort."

"This one……"

Ellen and Dorothy looked at each other and then looked away at the same time. It was awkward, but also realistic. In order to minimize possible damage, it was indeed a better choice to let the two of them stay together.

But in this case, if we want to go to the top floor - not just the top floor, if we want to go to any place in the manor, we must bring these two people with us, and everyone must act together, otherwise the possibility of people who are not with these two strongest people being attacked by the murderer will greatly increase.

This creates a contradiction. If they want to investigate the recording desk on the top floor, everyone has to go together. But if there is a trap on the top floor, everyone will be in trouble.

Anhans spoke again.

"Hey, hey, stop being so timid, okay? You won't be able to do anything if you keep thinking about it."

"...I think it was you who said there might be a trap on the top floor just now?" Lillian replied to him unhappily, but Anhans chose to ignore it.

"I mean, Ellen's original proposal was a good one. Part of it stayed in the hall, and part of it went up to investigate."

"But those who stayed..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Lillian-chan, even though Ellen and Dorothy are amazing, don't forget, you and I aren't bad either."

Anhans patted his chest confidently.

He is a man with a high opinion of himself, but his arrogance is not without foundation.

A puppeteer at the intermediate magician level, and not even twenty years old yet - this was enough to make him proud. Perhaps he was not outstanding in the eyes of the whole world, but in the aristocratic circle of the small country of Aaron Kingdom, he was definitely something to be proud of.

Lillian also basically has the qualifications to take the intermediate magician assessment. The two of them may not be mature, but together they are a force that cannot be underestimated.

York stroked his chin and thought for a moment.

"Hmm...it seems like this is the only way. Let's do it this way."

————————————————————————————

The group was heading towards the highest point of the mansion - the top floor.

In the end, the "advance team" was composed of York, Ellen, Chloe, and Nelris, while Anhans, Lux, Lillian, Molly, and Nia stayed in the hall waiting.

Small fireballs were floating around the four members of the advance team. This was naturally a defensive measure arranged by Chloe.

"I hope nothing goes wrong..." York was worried about the situation in the hall as he walked up the stairs.

"Don't worry, although Anhans looks a little arrogant, he is actually a very thoughtful and down-to-earth person."

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

"It's rare for me to agree with this muscle-brained guy. Anhans is very talented."

"Yes Yes……"

York stopped looking at the two sisters. Their casual chat did not relax his tense nerves. He looked at Nelris who was following at the end.

She wore a grey turtleneck sweater, a solid long skirt, and half of her calves were covered in black tights. On her feet were short boots that gave her a soft feeling. Her attire from head to toe was very ordinary in both style and fabric. It was hard to imagine that she was an aristocratic girl just by looking at her attire.

But her appearance is indeed very stunning, with smooth silver-gray hair, a face with a dreamy and clear beauty, long eyelashes that seem to be pulled into thin crystals, pale blue eyes like gems born from the sea, a small and delicate nose, light-colored lips that give people a delicate impression, a slightly pale skin color but it suits her very well, and a very slender and well-proportioned figure under her simple clothes.

From this perspective, she is indeed a beautiful girl who can amaze anyone.

But… no charm.

For some reason, although York could rationally analyze and judge Nelris's beauty, he could not feel her charm as a woman at all. As a man, he really did not think she had even the slightest appeal, and she was always the least noticeable person at home.

It’s weird.

York thought back to the events since the incident, and everyone's behavior... He suddenly felt that Nelris's reliability was beyond his expectations. Although she was shocked at first, she didn't panic. After that, she remained very calm throughout the whole process, and made more than one meaningful statement.

Could it be that... Nelris is actually a buried talent?

Moreover, as the eldest brother, he never seemed to care about her. Thinking of this, York suddenly felt a little guilty.

"Hello... Nelris?"

"What's wrong, York?"

A hint of a smile appeared on Nellis's expressionless face. It was a very faint smile, and it was hard to tell whether it was sincere or just a polite smile.

"You... uh..."

York suddenly didn't know what to say. Should he comfort her and tell her not to be afraid? Should he discuss his perspective on the situation with her? Or should he apologize for the years of neglect she'd received from her siblings?

Just as he opened his mouth a little embarrassedly, Nelris tilted her head and helped him down the stairs.

"Are you worried about me, York? It's okay. It's not a big deal right now."

"...Yeah, ah, yes, but don't force yourself. If there's anything that bothers you, tell me right away."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother York, for your concern. Actually... to be honest, I can't help but feel very scared, but this level of fear can still be suppressed with reason. And a moderate sense of fear can also... well... keep people alert, I guess."

Nelris spoke a long, somewhat incoherent speech, her face slightly reddened.

Snapped!

"Oh my, I didn't expect that little Nelris would blush sometimes. How cute~"

Ellen slapped Nelris on the shoulder affectionately, almost knocking her down the stairs. Nelris was stunned for a moment, then immediately distanced herself from Ellen, but just as she did so, her expression became panicked again.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Ellen. I, I just..."

"Ellen!" Chloe also scolded.

"Yes, yes... After all, I can't produce any evidence that I'm not the murderer, so it's natural for you to be wary."

Ellen smiled wryly, raised her hand, and continued, "I just suddenly thought... uh... you're actually quite good."

"As if they were inherently bad." Chloe rolled her eyes at Ellen.

"Shut up, I mean... I'm sorry, I've always subconsciously thought you were an unremarkable and mediocre guy, so I rarely came back... or maybe I never cared about you at all. But now that something's really happened, I feel like you're more reliable than anyone else."

"Actually, I think so too. You...acted very maturely, unlike Lillian and the others, who are still in shock."

"Ah, uh, Sister Ellen, Sister Chloe, you're too kind... I... just... anyway, thank you..."

Nelris's voice became more and more flustered. Perhaps it was because it was the first time she was praised by her family and she found it difficult to adapt. She lowered her head to hide her blushing cheeks, which made her look quite cute.

The tense atmosphere eased unconsciously, and the four of them finally reached the rooftop.

----------------------

That...is all right, right?

Control the frequency of eye movement, use clever strength to make your cheeks red, control facial expressions in millimeters, and make appropriate small movements at the right time.

As long as you coordinate these well, it is not difficult to guide other people's thoughts in the direction you want just by "expressing an attitude as if inadvertently".

My eyes scanned the faces of the three people through the gaps between their hair, analyzing their thoughts through the details of their expressions.

As a result, it was quite successful.

"A talented but usually unsuccessful introverted girl, she wins the approval of her older brother and sister under unusual circumstances. Overwhelmed by their unexpected enthusiasm, she tries to mask her shyness with knowledge she's learned from some book."