Alice stood before the corpse, her gaze fixed on the wound marring its chest.
Back when they'd been having their… friendly exchange within the N-Field, the 'Cursed Sword' had pierced through Suigintou's black feathers.
The mark it had left then couldn't be called identical to the one before her now, but it was strikingly similar.
Both had this strange quality, like the smooth, melted surface of a licked candy.
Alice slowly crouched down beside the body, intent on a closer inspection.
Seeing her lean in further, Hinaichigo, who had been clinging to Alice's calf, trembled and scurried to hide behind Trimmau. Even the Kirakishou nestled in her arms turned her face away in distaste.
For dolls like them, this scene was no different from a human stumbling upon a murder.
This puppet… wasn't one belonging to a Night Party participant.
Charlotte had shared the intelligence she'd gathered with Alice, so she had a rough idea of the dolls affiliated with the participants.
But she had no recollection of this one at all.
With the Night Party about to begin, why was a non-participant's doll the one attacked?
Alice ran a finger over her smooth chin, pondering the killer's motive.
"That dragon is here."
Suigintou's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
The distinctive beat of draconic wings echoed in the air as Sigmund flew towards them from a distance.
Below him, the golden-haired girl approached with a relaxed smile, quickening her pace.
Their class schedules differed, so they usually only met up during free periods.
Coming to a stop before Alice, Charlotte didn't even have time to offer a greeting before the grim scene to the side snatched her attention.
"What's this…" Her cheerful expression instantly soured into displeasure. For Charlotte, who viewed automatons as family, such a sight was naturally repulsive.
She deftly caught the descending Sigmund, asking softly, "What's the situation here?"
"I've only just arrived myself."
Tap, tap, tap.
The girls had barely exchanged a few words when the sound of numerous footsteps approached.
Students sporting gold-trimmed armbands on their left arms came running—the mark of the Disciplinary Committee.
The committee members began dispersing the crowd of onlooking students and cordoning off the area.
Along with their arrival, a voice sounded near Alice.
"Hey, Charl… I mean, Charlotte, Alice." Felix emerged from among the committee members, his automaton conspicuously absent as usual.
He offered his ever-present, amiable smile, standing before the girls. "Long time no see, you two."
Alice lowered her eyelids, offering no response.
Charlotte gave a perfunctory nod, then looked back at the doll's remains with clear distaste. "What happened over there?"
Felix seemed momentarily taken aback, glancing back. "Ah… this is already the fourth case since the term started just two months ago."
His gaze settled on the nearby corpse, a slight frown creasing his brow as if condemning the assailant's brutality.
"Ordinarily, you'd be lucky to see one incident like this in an entire semester."
"Automatons are a puppeteer's property. Even if you didn't want one anymore, you could sell it. There's no reason to choose destruction."
He shook his head, his tone laced with sorrow. "That student must be…"
Just then, a girl with a sensible air, shoulder-length hair, and glasses approached. The armband on her sleeve marked her as a committee member too.
She leaned in, reporting quietly into Felix's ear.
As she spoke, Felix's eyes gradually sharpened. "Thanks, Liz. So, the wound bears the same characteristics as the previous three cases, as expected…"
He turned back to the girls. "Ladies, do be careful lately. It seems… we might have a random attacker on campus."
His voice gradually rose, his gaze shifting to the surrounding students.
"The assailant's identity is still unknown, but we're certain they're responsible for the last three cases. The wounds on the victims all share similar traits." He pointed towards the distant corpse. "For now, we're calling them the Cannibal Candy."
He tapped the Disciplinary Committee armband on his sleeve. "We'll be coordinating with the guards going forward, strengthening night patrols. Everyone, please remain vigilant and try to avoid going out at night."
"But there's no need for excessive worry." A perfect smile curved onto the blond youth's face. "We, the Disciplinary Committee, will definitely apprehend them."
As his words faded, the crowd of onlookers erupted into thunderous applause.
Felix stood tall amidst the crowd, chest puffed out like a guardian protecting his home.
Candy, huh?
The name certainly captured the wound's distinctive feature.
Alice closed her eyes for a brief moment, then turned and walked towards the edge of the crowd. Charlotte hurried after her.
Once they were a reasonable distance away, Charlotte glanced back at the slowly dispersing crowd and asked, puzzled, "Did you notice something?"
The tap, tap, tap of their shoes on the path was the only sound for a moment. Alice, holding Kirakishou, walked forward in silence.
Only when the number of students around them thinned further did her voice finally drift over. "Charlotte. You didn't do this, did you?"
"This?" Charlotte was stunned for a second, but then connected it to the recent scene and immediately understood.
A flush instantly rose to her cheeks—a flush of anger. "Of course not! I would never do something like that."
"Is that so? My apologies."
The straightforward apology left Charlotte looking stunned. She hadn't expected the usually assertive Alice to apologize so readily.
A breeze stirred their hair, lightly ruffling Alice's black bob.
The sound of footsteps ceased abruptly, leaving only the two girls on the street.
"Then… did you notice? The wound on that corpse is exactly the same as those caused by the 'Cursed Sword'."
"..."
Silence stretched between them. Charlotte looked down, her fingers nervously clutching at the hem of her skirt.
Alice's question seemed to point towards something terrifying.
A suspicious frown marred her brow as she recalled the corpse.
"He… that…"
Her thoughts grew increasingly frantic. Now that she thought about it, the wound on the corpse did match the marks left by the 'Cursed Sword'.
Both shared that same smooth, almost polished surface, like licked candy.
"Why did you come to the scene this time?"
Alice's query pulled her from her spiraling thoughts.
"Because… I noticed the commotion over here, and then Sigmund spotted you from the air."
"Don't go near any similar scenes in the future."
No attempt to hide or destroy the body. Instead, it was deliberately left at the scene.
If this 'Cannibal Candy' left such an obvious clue, there was only one real possibility: to frame someone whose magecraft left similar traces—namely, Charlotte.
While they couldn't be certain the target was Charlotte specifically, it was best to be prepared.
Using similar magical traces to frame another… the Cannibal Candy was most likely a Night Party participant, or an ally of one.
The school's protection of its students wasn't overly strict, but it existed.
Anyone who killed their opponent during a Night Party duel was disqualified, and the same principle applied to everyday school regulations.
However, protections for the dolls themselves were virtually non-existent. So, the Cannibal Candy's actions weren't illegal, merely a violation of ethics.
But that was enough. Someone with a tarnished reputation could never become the Demon King.
What better way to eliminate Charlotte, one of the Thirteen, than by using a frame-up?
Alice resumed walking, stepping into a nearby restaurant.
She left Charlotte standing dumbfounded on the spot, her head bowed, golden hair obscuring her expression.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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