01x04 - The Headliner Appears

[bunniefuu]

What did you just say?

Let me repeat myself.

One of you is Madame Hannah's m*rder*r,

and that I will prove that to you now.

I don't believe you.

Claude, let's hear her out.

I think we owe her that much.

Thank you very much.

Now, let us begin.

Let us solve the mystery of

who k*lled Hannah Goddard

and how.

The Headliner Appears

Episode Four

After inspecting the scene of the m*rder,

I was left with seven problems.

First, the fact that there was no sign

of Madame Hannah noticing the m*rder*r.

Second, the fact that the attack did

not take place during the day

when a vampire's powers wane.

Third, the fact that a still usable

bottle was left at the scene.

Fourth,

the fact that the m*rder*r seemed

to know the layout of the mansion.

Fifth, the fact that the m*rder*r

left the silver stake in the storage room.

All of these actions would've

been unnatural for any outsider.

But I'd like to bring the utmost

attention to the sixth problem

It has to do with sound.

Sound?

At the time of the m*rder,

Claude and Alfred were both close

to Madame Hannah's room,

but neither of them heard any

sound from that room.

What's so strange about that?

It just means the m*rder*r was cautious.

Indeed.

But if the m*rder*r had driven the

silver spike as hard as they could

into Madame Hannah's chest,

it should've made a loud noise,

similar to that of hitting a nail.

There are four possible

explanations for this.

First, that both witnesses are lying.

This would indicate that they

colluded in the m*rder.

B-But I would never—

Yes, I am aware of that.

Neither of you have alibis.

If you had colluded, you would have

worked out fake alibis for each other.

Next.

There was a sound, but not

when they were near her room.

Which means that the m*rder may

have taken place before 1:00 AM.

Ms. Rindo

I made certain that there

was nothing amiss in the storage room.

Yes, yes.

Besides, before 1:00 AM, Raoul and

Alfred were near her room.

Next.

What if the m*rder*r did hit

the stake with a hammer,

but placed something in between

so it wouldn't make a sound?

But there was plenty of blood

on the m*rder*r's coat.

That would be proof that when

they k*lled her with the stake,

there was nothing to get in

the way of the blood splatter.

And so, there is only one explanation left.

The m*rder*r held the stake in their bare hand,

and then used strength alone to drive it

into Madame Hannah's chest.

That's why no one heard

any noise at any time.

So why didn't the m*rder*r use a

hammer to drive the stake in? Alfred?

Y-Yes?

Let's say you heard a "clank, clank"

noise from the lord and madame's room.

Now, what would you have

thought that sound to be?

I would believe that the madame was

repairing some furniture again.

I see. What about you, Claude?

I'd think that Mother was tinkering

with some furniture again.

Correct. Even if you had heard

the noise of a hammer blow,

no one in this mansion

would find that suspicious.

Then perhaps the reason the

m*rder*r couldn't use a hammer

was because it would break the stake itself.

Which would mean that the m*rder

weapon wasn't the silver stake,

but a stake made from something else.

What are you talking about, Ms. Rindo?

I found that stake in the storage room

What you saw was a silver stake covered

in blood, and Madame Hannah's wound.

That's all.

It is entirely possible that the

m*rder*r used a separate stake

that was around the same size.

But

But what would that second stake be?

A stake frail enough to break if

it were hit by a hammer.

There's no way something like

that could k*ll my wife.

Then let us now talk about

our seventh problem.

What we have now, ladies and gentlemen,

is a simple bottle left

at the scene of the crime.

The m*rder*r took it out for some reason

and left it at the scene on purpose.

They splashed around holy water, right?

Precisely.

Now, this is the important part.

The bottle was dusty, but wiping

it off did not remove the dust.

Which means the outer surface

of the bottle was not dirty.

This is our final problem.

Why was there dust on the

inside of the bottle?

If the bottle was full of liquid,

it would be impossible for the

inside of the bottle to be dirty.

Which means that the bottle

was empty from the start.

In order to make it look like

they splashed holy water around,

the m*rder*r left an empty

bottle behind at the scene.

However, there were definite traces

of holy water on Madame Hannah's body.

So where did the holy water come from?

Since the victim was a vampire,

a lethal weapon made out of

something other than silver,

something much weaker,

could be only one thing.

Holy water.

The m*rder*r froze holy water,

creating a stake made out of ice.

They then took that into the mansion,

stabbed Madame Hannah with the ice

stake as she slept in her armchair,

and k*lled her.

The blood splatter was blocked

by the coat they were wearing,

and the erstwhile holy water stake melted

immediately from the high temperature.

The melting holy water soaked

her clothes, and caused her skin to burn.

After the m*rder took place,

the m*rder*r collected Madame Hannah's

blood in some sort of container.

Then they left behind the

coat they no longer needed,

and a blood-flecked bottle,

to make it look like the m*rder

had been committed by an outsider,

and then left the room.

The m*rder*r then waited quietly

until Lord Godard left to go hunting.

Then, after Lord Godard

checked the storage room,

they broke the lock and snuck inside.

They then poured Madame

Hannah's collected blood

onto the silver stake to make it look

like the true m*rder weapon.

Then all that was left was to have

Lord Godard witness that awful sight

after returning from his hunt.

Now, this reduces my deduction

to but a single problem.

Why did our m*rder*r use this trick?

Tsugaru, do you know?

It's just like that soba shop rakugo story.

Someone was messing with time.

You don't have to try to be clever every time.

Regardless, you are correct.

The construction of an alibi—

That's the only reason the m*rder*r

would do such a thing.

Lord Godard thought that

the m*rder took place

while he was hunting from 1:00 AM to 1:30 AM.

But if the stake that was in the

storage room was not the m*rder weapon,

it would become possible

for the crime to take place

between 12:30 AM—when their

meal ended—and 1:00 AM.

From this information, we now have

five conditions the m*rder*r must fulfill.

First, they must not have an alibi

for the actual time period when the

m*rder took place, from 12:30 AM to 1:00 AM.

Second, they must be someone we originally

thought unable to commit the crime

due to their arranged alibi

from 1:00 AM to 1:30 AM.

Third, they must have had a few minutes

to freely move around

during the latter time period.

Fourth, they must be strong enough

to stab someone with a thick

stake and break a lock.

Fifth, they must be skilled enough

to have committed the m*rder

without being noticed by vampires

with their heightened senses.

Let's discuss the first condition.

The only ones who do not have

an alibi from 12:30 AM to 1:00 AM

are the two servants and Raoul.

Of these three, the two that fulfill the

second condition are Giselle and Raoul.

B-But

These two also fulfill the third condition.

Raoul came after Lord Godard

a minute after he left.

He had plenty of time to go into the

storage room and stage the silver stake.

Giselle also testified that she left

Miss Charlotte's side for a few minutes

to go to the bathroom.

But the only one who has

the abilities required

by the fourth and fifth conditions

is Raoul.

Wait a minute! There's no

way I could've done that!

I couldn't stage the stake!

I can't even touch silver!

Indeed. There were fingerprints

in the blood on the silver stake.

Probably, you reflexively grasped it when you

were covering it in Madame Hannah's blood.

But if Raoul is truly the m*rder*r,

his hand should be burnt.

And yet, his hand is unharmed.

On top of that, no one's hands show

any signs of having been burnt.

See?!

The deciding factor is a vampire's

regenerative abilities.

This was the final trick

in our m*rder*r's scheme.

After the body was discovered,

he excused himself due to his anxiety.

He then took one of the swords

from the wall in his room

and cut off his own fingers.

This would be unfathomable for a

mere human, but he's a vampire.

That is how the m*rder*r was able to destroy

evidence of his burns so quickly.

Such an unrefined m*rder*r

I hadn't even finished my explanation,

and yet you decided to out yourself.

It's quite all right, Shizuku-san.

Please look after Master for me.

I'll take care of the lad.

Now, now

We can't have you trying

to rough up my master.

Raoul set his plan in motion

after last week's attack.

He contacted a hunter named Hugo,

and told him that he would create an

opportunity for Hugo to attack Lord Godard.

Unfortunately, Hugo went along with this.

Raoul's plan was to get his silver

stake into the storage room

while he held onto the stake's case.

I heard that you all go to church.

In that case, it must've been easy

to secretly obtain some holy water.

He filled the case with holy water,

and created an ice stake exactly

the same size as the silver stake.

As for his motive, it was probably his

objection to being a human ally,

since it appears as though your sons

aren't fond of humans the way you are.

If you need proof, I'm sure you'll

find quite a few things in his room.

The bottle he used to collect

Madame Hannah's blood,

the sword he used to cut off his fingers,

the cloth he wrapped his hand with

to hold the ice—

Lord Godard?

Lord Godard, are you listening?

Did Raoul really

He clearly tried to k*ll me just now.

Nothing could be a clearer confession.

What

What am I to do?

Fear not.

Let's just leave this to my assistant.

In Japan, we'd say

this is when the headliner appears.

They're all so damn weak.

Oho?

Father just does everything Mother says.

My brother's all talk, too!

But I'm nothing like them!

Is that so?

Vampires are meant to be solitary creatures.

So why do we have to stoop to their level?!

Dearie me.

That's why I thought if I made it

look like a human k*lled that woman,

Father would finally come to his senses!

But even that didn't work!

Which means

this household is standing in my way.

I'll just have to k*ll all of them.

Upsy-daisy!

Now, now, now

Come one, come all!

Everyone is welcome here!

I'm not healing?

What you're about to witness

is a grand, fearsome, goosebump-raising

event that silences crying children.

Behold one of the rarest creatures

in the world, the Oni Slayer.

I know not of my parents' fate,

but behold my seething flesh!

One hit is enough to k*ll, meaning

it's as one-hit-k*ll as it can be.

In this world, there isn't a

single monster he can't k*ll.

No, no. You can pay after

you see the performance.

But

That's only if you survive it.

What the hell are you?!

Why, I'm going to have you see just that.

These blue veins tell a story that involves

the inhuman and the supernatural!

And of course it does, because even

if I may seem human, I indeed am not!

"Inhuman" may sound a bit rude,

but please, lend me your ears,

as I tell you the humiliating tale

of Tsugaru Shinuchi.

Away we go!

After the restoration, around

the year Meiji 30,

the powers above declared a m*ssacre.

The supernaturals were going to be purged.

The Great Purge

The rampant yokai were

chased, captured, and purged.

And this purge was carried out by ruffians

who were aptly named the Oni K*llers.

The ultimate squad, the Oni K*llers!

Here you see just one of its

treasured newcomers,

the one and only Tsugaru Shinuchi.

Despite being so far away from home,

he's here to perform this terrible charade.

Where could I have gone wrong?

I thought we were doing so well.

I I I'm not like the others!

Everyone who's around your age

says the same exact thing.

Which means you're exactly like the others.

No Because I'm a vampire!

I'm noble and strong!

Strong? I don't know about that.

I must say that Count Dracula

had a much harder bite.

I've finished my work.

Well done.

A light workout before breakfast

As it is still 3:00 AM.

Lord Godard

Our job ends here, though I'm not

sure if it was the best ending.

How could this happen?

With Hannah's ideals guiding our family

Humans and monsters can't live in harmony.

Huh?

This is straight from the horse's mouth,

so there's no doubt about it.

Um, who are you waiting for?

Some weird guy holding a birdcage.

A birdcage?

Are you talking about the Cage User?

So he's already here!

Of course he's here. He's about to leave.

Huh? What about the case? Was it solved?

Mister Shinuchi!

Well, well, hello there.

What a coincidence, Miss Annie.

How can I help you?

Why I came here to interview you two.

How are you doing, Ms. Rindo?

Other than the fact that I'm a severed head,

I'm doing quite well.

I heard that you solved the

case in a single night,

but could you tell me how it wrapped up?

My, word travels fast.

Well, I work for the great

Epoc News after all.

Ms. Shizuku, you heard the lady.

Could you start loading our lugga—

Wh-What are you doing?! Look out!

I just remembered Lady Aya's

order from yesterday.

She wanted me to strike you.

You don't need to remember that

when you're holding a trunk!

Look after my master for a minute, would you?

They really don't get along.

They're basically like siblings.

By the way, could you ask the butler

how everything turned out in the case?

I have a few things to speak

with Lord Godard about.

Roger!

Is it all right, Lord Godard?

Lord Godard?

Yes I know there's no way to

keep this a secret from the world.

No, that's not what I meant.

Is it all right for you to be outdoors like this?

Ah, yes. That's right.

The sun will be rising soon.

But then nightfall will come once more.

There's nothing to regret, Lord Godard.

Even if we lose our reputations, we can

retry as many times as we need.

We're undying monsters, after all.

Right

By the way, what did you

want to speak with me about?

Ah, yes. Do you know anyone

who fits this description?

A man in his early seventies

with a slender build,

sunken eyes and terrible posture.

His right leg is a prosthetic,

and he carries a black cane.

On the handle, there's an "M"

engraved in gold.

That man visited a couple of days ago.

You don't say.

He didn't tell me his name. He just

asked me to call him "Professor."

He then asked me if I'd like

to go to London with him,

but I have a family, so I declined.

How do you know him?

He's the fool who took the rest

of my body and about half of Tsugaru's.

Is that why you're

Are you all right, Mister Shinuchi?

Your head seems to be bleeding.

Oh, don't you worry. I'm used to this.

Boss, the dawn's gonna break soon.

We should get goin'.

Master, the bumpy road of

terror awaits us once more.

Wheedle a consolation fee from

the coachman, if you would.

Easily done!

Hey, hang on a sec

I'd like a comment from you to sum up the case.

Well, Lord Godard said he'd lost family

members three times during his long life.

Here he lost his wife, and thought

it would just be the fourth,

but then he lost a son as well.

It's quite the tragedy.

Yup.

I'm sure that my lady will try to laugh this

off as a farce, but it's a true tragedy.

Really, insult to injury.

As we say in Japan, "What happens

twice will happen thrice,"

but the Godard incident took things

even further than that.

You see

What happens four times will

go-dhard into a fifth.

It seems that Arsene Lupin has

appeared at the Opera House.

Just as he declared in his letter of warning,

he stole the jewel on the leading

actress's costume and fled.

Lupin The phantom thief

everyone's talking about lately?

"The phantom thief has taken

the Phantom of the Opera,

and then disappeared into the city night," it says.

What would you like to do?

Let it go, of course. We don't have time

to deal with that phantom thief brat.

At least not right now.