Chapter 746: Chapter 15 The Theater Mystery (Part 2)_3

(Mr. Gongsun, my guess isn’t necessarily the truth. A child about to be wronged stands by your side, do you intend to stop thinking?)

Is it necessary to be so harsh? Are you my mother or my teacher? Forcing me to think? I’m here to vacation, not volunteer. I’ve had enough of your Country’s bullshit!

But Gongsun Ce contained his urge to roar. He knew getting angry now was useless. Alandia’s speculations may not be correct either… Think, think… Contradictory testimony… Contradictory evidence…

Gongsun Ce vaguely had some ideas, but he still felt lost in the fog, like a leaf blocking his vision. At that moment, a Knight of Dawn spoke again.

(Remember the discussion about the foldable knife?)

(Ah, the conjecture of Philis committing the crime…)

He had made a wrong assumption because he didn’t know that nobles could also carry small knives. It was like setting a trap for Jane last night; under a wrong premise, even a reasonable argument leads to a wrong conclusion.

(The same applies now; you should re-examine the premises of the case.)

Re-examine the premises? The premise of this case was…

(Back to our initial question, why was the body facing the work desk?)

“…… Ah!”

The fog before his eyes cleared with this phrase, and the leaf flew away. Gongsun Ce had an epiphany. Amid the confused looks of the crowd, he shouted, clapped his hands in realization, sincerely convinced: “I’m convinced. You’re right, I can only come to this conclusion too. This is indeed the core of the case. I really have nothing more to say!”

Kerky shyly covered her face: “Ah, are you praising me?”

“Get lost, it’s none of your business.”

(The final confirmation, please, Viscount Buck, take out your foldable knife.)

(No problem.)

Gongsun Ce moved to the entrance of the tent and snapped his fingers: “Alright, let’s review the entire event from start to finish! Viscount Buck, please open your foldable knife for me.”

“Why?” Buck exclaimed in shock, “I definitely didn’t use this knife to kill anyone…”

“Please, Viscount Buck!”

Viscount Buck took out the knife with his right hand, carefully pressing the blade with his left thumb, and slowly opened his beautiful foldable knife. Gongsun Ce took the knife, skillfully twisting it, and locked it back in an instant. He put the unopened knife in his pocket, standing facing the entrance.

“The murder began before 11:19, after the negotiations between Douglas and Viscount Buck had ended. The perpetrator and the killer began wrestling inside the tent, during which Douglas used the Impermanence Skill for the first time, creating a silence.”

“Objection.” Kerky shook her head, “Douglas was the one attacked, he had no reason to deliberately block the senses.”

Gongsun Ce crossed his arms, confident: “So, this premise is wrong. In fact, Douglas was the one with the advantage during the fight. Thus he initiated the silence, ensuring this matter went unnoticed.

The murder in the tent ended in pure silence, moving the time to 11:20… Please pay attention, everyone. By then, Mr. Douglas was still very much alive because he had just met with Philis.”

“Nonsense!” “Objection!!” Both Viscount Buck and McDonald shouted.

Kerky narrowed her eyes: “Contradictions, Mr. Gongsun. The old man died at 11:19… That’s what’s written on the autopsy mirror, the bloody truth.”

She pointed at Gongsun Ce, shouting lowly: “As a guest of the Knight Order, are you saying the research results from our Royal Family’s Mage Academy are wrong?”

“No, the mirror at the Royal Mage Academy is functioning perfectly, without a single mistake. The victim indeed died at 11:19 AM. It’s just…”

Gongsun Ce shook his finger, a mocking smile on his face.

“This victim is not Mr. Douglas at all!”

“Ah??” Philis exclaimed. He hurried into the tent, glanced inside, then poked his head out, his voice trembling, “But, but, but he is…”

“On what basis do you say he is Douglas?” Gongsun Ce tapped his forehead, “Because of looks? Clothes? Fingerprints? DNA testing? All of these can be forged, child. It is quite easy to dress up a corpse as another person if you have some special abilities!”

Philis was a smart child; he grasped the key point, “Then, sir, you mean…”

“Exactly, we’ve been approaching the case the wrong way from the start. Douglas isn’t the victim, he’s the real murderer!

After chasing Philis away, he used his abilities once again. Just like that lucky boy in the fairy tale holding a genie’s lamp.”

Gongsun Ce raised one hand, “This time he made a big wish, one that would completely clear his suspicion and allow him to live his life carefree. Looking at the dead man on the ground, he thought of a good idea. If Douglas was already dead in this world, then naturally, he would no longer be suspected.

The old craftsman made his second wish today; he and the man he personally killed… swapped identities!”

As he spoke, everyone present was taken aback.

Kerky squinted her eyes and asked, “So… who is the real victim?”

“Why ask questions to which you already know the answers? Reflect on the causes and consequences; the truth is emerging. Douglas had only one reason to act today, and that was to fight with the furious Viscount Buck. This viscount, unlike his self-proclaimed self-control, truly intended to kill this deceitful scholar! It makes sense, when a person is so angry that he draws his blade to strike, how could he possibly stay rational enough to stop halfway? This is why the victim was facing the work desk, because he was the first to attempt to kill Douglas, who was sitting at the desk!”

Gongsun Ce flicked his wrist, and the foldable knife from Viscount Buck quickly opened, its shiny blade reflecting the winter’s noon sunlight, glittering splendidly. He faced the tent, holding the knife in his left hand, chopping down just as Viscount Buck had done minutes before.

“In a rush, with thoughts of counterattack and self-preservation, Douglas picked up the hammer beside him and viciously smashed it towards Viscount Buck! The little rationality he retained allowed him to silence his actions, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. After several attacks, the great mistake had been made, and the real Viscount Buck lay inside the tent…”

Gongsun had his right index finger raised, pointing to the real murderer, his fingers directly towards Kerky’s side, towards the silent “Viscount Buck.”

“Yet, you are the real murderer, Douglas Burstone!”

Viscount Buck stiffened like a post, his mouth agape like a fish out of water, he weakly said, “Slander, it’s all nonsense…”

“Unfortunately, wishing can change one’s identity but it can’t grant you knowledge or memory. The cuts on the table are on the left side; the viscount is mostly a left-hander, yet you hold the knife with your right hand. The real Viscount Buck could draw his sword quickly for a strike, but you, an impostor, don’t even know how to open it properly,” Gongsun Ce pointed the tip of the knife at the craftsman and chuckled, “Shall I ask something else? What are your parents’ names? What jobs did your grandparents do?”

“…”

“Buck” trembly removed his gold-rimmed glasses, blinked, and it altered his appearance instantly, no longer resembling a domineering nobleman, but a lonely, eccentric old man.

“I have nothing to say,” Douglas bowed his head, “You’ve hit the mark. But, child, but… did you know, the words I just spoke, those curses against myself. These were actually his very words, this is exactly how he had rebuked me before.

I worked relentlessly on my research, thinking that I couldn’t let down the investor’s expectations, I had to present the real history to him… survive on my own merit, and make a fortune with my skill… but he wouldn’t look at my achievements, he became furious upon hearing just the conclusions. He didn’t care about the truth, only wanting something that could embellish his facade. He wouldn’t listen to my explanations, wanting to kill me, calling me a ‘despicable old thing’…”

Douglas raised his head, and in those few words, nearly half of his face was obscured by coarse, long hair. His teeth had become sharp, his fingers had turned into claws, and his eyes, filled with desperate tears, were for his own sins, and for his transformed state.

“I killed him. Because I… wanted to survive…!”

The old man’s tears fell to the ground, and his eyes suddenly turned into yellow vertical pupils, resembling those of a creature from another world.

The surroundings transformed in an instant, grass reversed into a swamp, the tent changed into a withered tree, and mist appeared out of nowhere, the day silently shifted to night. The scent of blood wafted through the mist, and just as Douglas transformed, this area morphed into something resembling Shadow Mist City!