The Worldview Where Everyone is Destined to Die

Chapter 11: Only the corpse can know (1)

My body was exhausted to the extreme.

It had been a long time since my physical state hit rock bottom like this since I was a kid and was on the verge of death every four days.

Ignoring the drowsiness that swept in, I turned my back on Machina and left the council room.

Then a student council member with long hair covering his face, who seemed to be in charge of me, quickly caught up to me.

If I remember right, then this guy was from the Crown of Thorns class, Enoch Clark.

'Two days later....'

The last chance that Machina gave me was for two days.

Was it a coincidence that the date coincided with the four days later that Shirley said to 'Not sleep and endure'?

I looked at the restraints on my wrist, loosening them, and then lowered my sleeves to cover the marks.

'Where do I find the body?'

Maybe this was me trying to slowly destroy myself. Even so, I plan to see this through to the end.

My innocent self unexpectedly survived, passing each day. Even when I wanted to give up everything, that 'unexpected feeling' held me straight from the back.

From that day on, everything that happened was unexpected.

What is about to happen now is also unexpected.

I quickened my pace and headed to the third dorm building of the Wooden Cross.

"It is such a mess."

After going through all sorts of hardships, I returned to my room, which was in a mess like a storm had hit it.

The reason I could just sigh looking at the mess and not even enter the room was because the door had a red rope tied in a zigzag shape outside, meaning no access.

"Access is prohibited."

"Seems to be so."

Enoch Clark, who was watching me, cleared his throat loudly as if embarrassed.

His bangs were so long that one couldn't see the face or expression behind them, and he didn't seem like a council member with strength.

Anyway, it was just about time for the lectures to begin, so fortunately no other cadets were around.

Without even trying to hide my distaste, I tapped the soles of my feet on the ground, thinking about the next move.

"Senior!"

As I stood there, unsure and sighing, I heard a welcoming voice.

It hadn't even been a day since the last nightmare, and I was really feeling elated to see Shirley. But there was something I had to confirm first.

"Shirley, when was the last time we met other than today?"

"Why now? Without today, it would have to be in theology class."

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"Right?"

I really wanted to confirm this because I spent a few days losing my sense of reality. Shirley tilted her head, like my question was strange.

Through this, I confirmed that 'Shirley' who came to warn me had nothing to do with Shirley in front of me.

'Anyway, it doesn't seem like Shirley has changed.'

The day after I shot Theodore in my dream, Theodore appeared wearing an eyepatch where my bullet hit.

And on the same day, in a dream where I fainted, I shot Judith in the hand, and when Judith appeared the next day, she was wearing a prosthetic hand.

'No, isn't that strange?'

If this is the structure where what is lost in the dream is being reflected in reality, then Arthur Usher, who was shot in the heart, cannot be alive.

It would be a different story if he was pretending to be human even when the heart wasn't beating, but if a swordsman training to be a sword master didn't have a beating heart, it would be a huge deal.

"What is that?"

"Ah."

While I was scanning Shirley with my eyes to check if she was wounded, the package she was carrying caught my eye.

Shirley held out the package to me, looking proud. As I accepted it, I looked at Enoch Clark, who didn't stop me.

"This is a change of clothes for seniors that I brought from the shooting range. When I heard that you were covered in blood... shit!"

It was Shirley who visited President Machina before me.

Of course, yesterday's event seemed to have reached the ears of Shirley.

"Rumors go so swiftly."

"Right. That is a strange thing... Well, I am glad that you are acting like a human. Senior, you really care about such things."

When I unpacked the package, I saw that along with clothes, there were basic items like toiletries, writing tools, and food, all neatly tied and placed, as if a professional traveler packed them.

"... Am I going for a vacation?"

"No, who said anything about that? It isn't that I believe in nonsense but... I figured that senior might need this if he was in a hurry."

It seems that Shirley had assumed that I would run away from the academy, and so she came with the bag packed.

"You might suddenly want to cross the ocean. Senior hasn't been to his parents house since last year, so---"

"... Hahahahaha!"

Shirley, who was making excuses with a lack of confidence, had her eyes wide open.

"What is this now? Seriously, if my charges get confirmed, then you will be tied along with me for trying to help a criminal escape. Hahahah!"

"Why are you laughing like that! Seriously. You are so carefree."

I coaxed Shirley, who was trying to take away the bag she brought for me.

I made fun of her for bringing me daily necessities, but thanks to her, I might be able to avoid sleeping on the street.

Fortunately, there were no student council cadets following her around, which meant she had an alibi for last night.

I put my arm through the red rope that blocked the entrance, and took out the waist belt with clasps that were placed on the dresser and the leather strap that wrapped the book, and waved it at Enoch Clark.

He didn't stop me either.

'Probably means that the investigation is done.'

I signaled to Shirley, and she turned around. I took off Arthur's shirt, which was a bit too big for me, changed into my shooting uniform, and attached the leather strap to the bag Shirley gave me and tied it around like a normal bag.

I was fortunate that Shirley brought a suspenders dress with her. From now on, I will have to move constantly.

"Shirley, can you help me?"

"You were told to find the body?"

Shirley was glaring at Enoch Clark, who was following us about 10 meters away. He was following behind us and heading to the chapel.

I repeatedly tried to stop Shirley from following me, but she was being stubborn.

"That makes no sense. Tell Enoch Clark over there to find it."

At her words, Enoch looked the other way. From what I heard, it seemed like the two knew each other.

Shirley, who pouted her lips at his silence, walked ahead quickly, shaking her long ponytail hair.

"There was nothing on the site."

"You already went there?"

"If you hear in person what rumors have been going around since morning, you will have no choice but to do the same."

I couldn't laugh or cry at Shirley's words.

Strangely enough, it seems like something like this causes controversy once in a while.

Last year, there was a rumor that shook the academy's social world, and this year, there was a murder rumor.

The important thing is that unlike last year, which was a random incident, this year's incident had a person dead.

'Did they say it as Kale Ace? He majored in history for the Silver....'

Although I didn't have a deep impression, I remembered that Kale Ace was a diligent model student one class below me.

But no matter how the student's attitude was towards the rumor, the fact that a murder happened in the academy, which should be the safest, was absurd.

"We need to find the culprit."

I couldn't figure out why the criminal wanted to involve me as the most suspicious one in the case and why unusual things were happening.

The three of us, including Enoch Clark, who was following us from far, arrived in front of the chapel, the scene of the incident.

There was no one there except for the no-access red line, implying that a murder had happened, and a few student council members at the entrance.

The overall appearance of the chapel, which used more straight lines than curves, looked so still and quiet that one wouldn't believe that a murder had happened.

"Let's go in. Cadet Enoch Clark, will that be fine?"

"I don't think we will find anything if we go in after the investigation is done."

"Council head Machina told me to find the body, so I need to do something."

"... I understand."

I headed to the chapel, leaving Enoch behind, who didn't like it. And then two students from the council, who were watching us, took turns crossing their hands and removing the no-access rope.

Shirley and I shared the cotton gloves that Enoch gave us and waited for the sealed entrance to open.

'They let us pass so easily because I used Machina's name.'

It was highly likely that the reason I was able to act so freely despite being a suspect was because of her orders.

I entered the chapel thinking of her smile, and I had no clue what she was up to.

Shirley, whose expression cooled down and took on a serious look, stepped into the chapel altar.

"Ah. I guess there is nothing to see here?"

"I know."

The evidence had already been secured, so the altar, which was drenched in blood, had to be cleaned up. Although it was clear that it was cleaned by hand because of the rule of no magic.

Since the main material is wood, this altar probably will not be able to return to its original form before the incident.

'They probably recorded the scene or something, but I don't think they will give that to me.'

I took out the writing tools from the bag I got and roughly drew what I remembered. Shirley lowered her body and looked to the ground for any remaining traces.

"The first person to arrive at the scene of the incident was... as expected, me."

"How do you know that?"

Shirley, who was lying flat on her stomach, dusted her pants as she came to me. I showed her my sketch, as it would be easier to recognize the situation, and pointed to the end of the altar.

The end of the altar was splattered here and there with yellow wax from the candles and countless ceremonial candles, and there were traces of blood in there that hadn't been wiped clean yet.

But that wasn't what I wanted to show her.

"The blood stains remain on the edge alone. It might not be noticeable because of the candle wax, but it will be easy to see if you look at the black wet traces on the wood."

"Ah...?"

At those words, Shirley, who had been looking at the altar with her head down, clapped her hands.

"Blood splashed on the person who was lying down."

We both looked at each other.

This proves the existence of one more person who was lying on this altar while someone died.

"Machina Christie, do I call her?"

"No, there is something I need to confirm. And it will be difficult to clear the charges with just this."

"Eh? Why?"

If I were the person interrogating the suspect in the same situation, I would try to solve the case by assuming that there was a fight on the altar.

That is weak evidence, but---

'If we take the story that way, maybe it would work out better than one thing.'

But I didn't want to say it out loud when I might have an enemy lurking around in the dark. Shirley, who understood it, glared at innocent Enoch again.

"You are doing amazing."

After all, being a human being, I didn't feel that good about Enoch Clark, who was constantly following me around.

After looking at Shirley, who happily managed to get revenge for me, I put my writing tools away.

I traced the width of the altar with my finger and began to imagine the timeline of events in the mead.

While I was lying on the altar, the struggle that began with the owner of the blood stain appeared later, and Arthur Usher entered the chapel right after the incident.