Talk:Halloween 2016 Event Rerun/@comment-32856683-20171009090140

 A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - Tea Party Chapter 

  Mashu was still in a haze when she went the stairs down to the entrance hall with the portrait of the witch staring down at her. It took quite some time for her to recover after Battler found her like this, after she had allowed the witch to escape with Ritsuka. Afterwards they had visited the still locked crime scene, but just like it happened, her Sempai wasn’t there. Mashu ended up crying over the blood-soaked sheets again, even more than after she found her. She couldn’t say why it hit her harder now, but it must have been something to do with the assurance that the witch was behind the murder. Nitocris and Battler left her like this and went to inform the others. How many minutes Mashu spend in that room, she could not say, but she stayed until her eyes were dryed up. Only now she collected herself enough to rejoin with the others.

  When she arrived in the dining room, she found the others eating glumly at the dinner table. Ronove’s food was still splendid, but a murder was clearly affecting the response to it. Mashu sat down next to Nitocris.

  “Nothing else was found,” Battler told her, poking at his plate miserably.

 “Of course... it seems the witch didn’t need to leave any traces of herself...”, Mashu replied.

 “ Uuuu ~. I told you, Beatrice made them her sacrifice...,” Maria insisted.

 Mashu forced a smile on her face.

 “Yes... now I believe you... the witch is the murderer... no one else is...”

A fist hit the table, startling everyone. It was Battler, who was visibly upset about this exchange.

 “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’ve seen that changed your opinion like this, but I’m afraid I cannot accept it! I cannot accept this witch, when a murderer is among us! Come on, Mashu! Aren’t you a Holmes Fan? So why do you stop thinking?”

 Mashu just looked down at her lap, grimacing.

 “What are you proposing?”

“We might have not found a culprit hiding here, but that could still mean that the culprit doesn’t even try to hide.”

“You don’t think...,” Jessica started.

“I don’t like it, but it is a possibility,” he continued, “How about exchanging what we were doing last night after we split up?”

 That went easy enough. The Ushiromiya cousins, interestingly enough, had gathered in Jessica’s and Maria’s room and were up till the middle of the night, exchanging stories about the past few years. Therefore there was only a small timeframe in which one had the chance to sneak out while the others were sleeping. Not that it was likely for an ordinary human to commit such a crime. Elizabeth claimed she was awake the whole night, contemplating smothering the snoring Ibaraki. Ibaraki herself had no recollections of anything odd, saying that she went out like a stone. Nitocris was in her bed the entire time. Though Mashu had been out for some time when she thought to see one of the witch’s butterfly familiars, it was by far not long enough to commit the murder and she didn’t have a spirit form either.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Wait, so that means Nitocris was without alibi for this time?” Battler asked, much to the pharaoh’s exasperation.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">“Come on, there is no way Caster could have committed the crime...,” Ibaraki proclaimed with an annoyed tone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">“Th-   thank you... for saying that,” Nitocris bowed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">“Yeah, of course you can’t kill anyone, you hit like a wet noodle!” Ibaraki added, causing Nitocris slump down once again.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  It was then, that it seemed like someone struck a creepy chord. The entrance to the dinner room swung open and for everyone to see, a wave of golden butterflies fluttered inside, manifesting into the Golden Witch Beatrice at the head of the table.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Ah, I am very sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. In any case, I, Beatrice the Golden Witch, hereby welcome you officially into my mansion and my gameboard, dear visitors!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Everyone was awestruck. The Servants jumped up, summoning their weapons excepting a fight, everyone except Mashu who just stared at her in disbelief.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “You... you are Beatrice!” she said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Of course I am. You have seen me before, have you not?” she cackled madly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “What is this? Damn it!” Battler cursed, having jumped up as well.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Oh, don’t despair yet, Battler. That would be the least to my liking. Don’t despair before I have seen you struggle! Come on, I were just about to deny me, weren’t you? Go ahead! Fight my existence with all your might!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Mashu looked back to the redhead, a frown on her face.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “What does that mean?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “I... I think I know what she wants...,” Battler’s voice was almost a whisper before he addressed the witch himself, “We did play such a game in the past, didn’t we?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  The grimace of the witch softened, her smile now was almost gentle.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “So you do remember,” she said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Of course I do! I was horrible at this game and you were always playing mindgames with me!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Jessica seemed confused, George’s face was twisting into a regretful grimace, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Come on, then, Battler! Show me how much you have matured in these past years!” the witch pointed at him with her wand-like pipe.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  The boy now donned a cocky smile.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Fine with me! So you say you are the witch Mashu saw? Bullshit! You are just a mask the true culprit hides beneath! Everyone in this room has been in his room during the time of the murder, so that leaves only twelfth person, an enemy Servant from outside, who snuck into this mansion and committed the murder! ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “What was that?” Jessica asked in astonishment.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  At this time Ronove stepped to the side of his mistress.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Blue Truth, Miss Jessica. And an effective one at that, for the moment. It is the weapon of the detective, a theory that is valid as long as it is not refuted by either hard evidence or Red Truth.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Red Truth?” George asked in confusion.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  The witch cackled once again triumphantly:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “ Everything said in Red is the truth and only the truth! ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “A knife with which she can cut my theories to pieces...” Battler grimaced.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Right, right... And just like you said, here me out: There were no more than twelve people in this mansion!, ” the witch sneered, “Don’t make fetch the Knox decalogue.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Battler still smiled, but he had to take this information in regardless.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “You are just messing with me, aren’t you? A play on words... Someone could have snuck out of the mansion at the time of the murder, allowing for the culprit to enter in that timeframe. ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Let me strike you down where you stand: No one left or entered the mansion during the night! ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Define night!” Battler demanded.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “ Night means from dawn till dusk! ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Mashu shook her head.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “So that means there was no outsider, no witch who could have committed it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Wrong, little lady,” Beatrice pointed out, “I just can’t be counted because I am no human, but a being beyond your understanding! A being who sacrificed your Master just like this!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Nonsense,” Batter interjected, “Everyone who had a way to get past this door could have done it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Huh?” Beatrice cocked her head, “But the key was still inside, wasn’t it? And the chain was locked. It is impossible to set the chain from outside .”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “So you just casually dismiss all kinds of tricks... What about your butler? If he is a demon like he claims...”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “What is this, Battler? The butler did it? Come on! Don’t tire me with old tropes like this. But if you want to imply that he has locked the door for the culprit, I can assure you: The door was locked with the key on the nightstand, not with a Master Key or any kind of replica. It’s because Ritsuka did it before I barged in and repaired it with magic!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Tch...”, Battler was reeling, but Jessica came up to his side:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “Hey, why aren’t you trying to go for the most obvious solution? I like it as little as you do, but... Robin was in that room and he disappeared. Maybe he is the killer and is still hiding in Spirit Form. Wow, that was weird...”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  The witch eyed the two humans in front of him with satisfaction.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Well, our dear Battler is still trying to avoid thinking about placating anyone he knows. Even if they are strangers he only met yesterday,” Beatrice explained, “Well met, Jessica. I am glad you join us as well. But I’m afraid I can’t let this stand: Robin is dead. How can he be the murderer if I killed him?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  George now walked up to her as well.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “What about Nitocris then? She could have phased through the door while Mashu wasn’t looking, committed the crime and returned to her room. ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  Battler was looking back and forth between his two cousins who were now fighting alongside him. He couldn’t help but cock a smile.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Thanks guys! You are awesome!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> “We can’t have you let all the fun, can we?” Jessica blinked. “Now then, witch, what are you saying?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  The witch however looked thoughtful.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  “Well... I don’t need to answer all blue truth. I can always crush your theory later. As long as there is a single mystery left, I can come back to haunt you! What about me retrieving the corpse then? If I am just standing in for Nitocris, then she must have moved a solid corpse through two closed doors. The one of the room and the one in the attic. May I remind you: Only Ronove has the key to the attic and was in the study at the time Ritsuka was moved! ”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> The three cousins were in a pinch. If they didn’t get any help soon, they would be in a deadlock this early in the game...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">  to be continued...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">   ''' ... by you! To celebrate Umineko-day I have written these five chapters in the comment section of the Halloween re-run. A solvable mystery in the style of Umineko When they Cry and I invite every FGO player who had read as far to join in, trying to unravel what happened! Come, let me hear your Blue Truths so that I can cut them down with the red! '''