Chapter 115: Finding the Culprit
"I... I don't know, either..." Ran Mouri hesitated, her voice tinged with a quiet sadness. "But if it were possible, I think I would choose to meet them. At least to say a proper goodbye. After all, waiting is just... it's too long, especially when you don't know when, or if, it will ever end. I wouldn't want the person I love to live on with such a hopeless longing..."
"Adults are so strange. How can two people have such different ideas?" Moroboshi shook his head, then turned his curious gaze to the other adult present. "So, Natsume... ahem, Sister Natsume, what about you? If it were you, what would you do?"
He had almost called her by her name directly, but a sharp look from Natsume had him instinctively, and submissively, tacking on the honorific.
"Me..." Natsume mused aloud. She had never truly experienced the feeling of pining for someone, so she could only project the sentiment onto that cheap, perpetually absent brother of hers.
The others watched as she pondered for a moment. A cold, sharp laugh escaped her lips, and her voice dropped to a low, dangerous murmur. "As for me, I would find every possible way to see them. Heh, wanting to forget me and start over? Not a chance. If we met and they didn't recognize me, or had already forgotten me... then I'd give them a beating to make sure their body remembered. I'd have to beat them a few more times on a regular basis, too, just to make the memory stick."
Everyone fell silent.
A cold sweat broke out across Conan's brow as he listened, especially at that last sentence. Considering Natsume's combat prowess, the sweat only intensified.
'As expected, Ran is still the gentle one...'he thought, a shiver running down his spine.'I don't know who Sister Natsume was thinking of just now, but for them to have survived this long... they must be quite the character.'
After the idle chatter wound down, the group returned to the matter at hand. They concluded that their best course of action was to find the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Marcel, first. They could search for the mysterious Vacher after they had more clues to work with.
Just as they were about to set off, the world around them began to blur. The familiar sensation of time accelerating washed over them once more.
Having experienced it before, they were no longer as panicked as the first time. They stood their ground, waiting patiently as the world fast-forwarded. In what felt like moments, time settled on the next morning—the second day since their arrival in the game. Tomorrow would be the day of the prophesied Courtroom Duel with the Hydro Archon.
Time was rapidly closing in, yet they only had a handful of clues regarding the Serial Disappearances of Young Women, let alone a solution to the prophecy itself. A thread of anxiety began to weave its way through the group.
But there was nothing for it. All they could do was seize what little time they had left and gather as many clues as possible.
They arrived at the residence of the President of the Chamber of Commerce, only to find him absent. After inquiring with a servant, they learned that this Marcel was currently at a cemetery near Poisson, paying respects to an old friend.
Left with no other choice, the group had to rush to Poisson. Fortunately, it wasn't far this time, and they arrived after a short journey.
Near the graveyard, they spotted two figures. One was a young woman with long, curly blonde hair, dressed in a magnificent yellow and black gown. The other was an older, middle-aged man. This, they presumed, was Marcel, the president they were looking for.
Having found their target, the group didn't approach rashly. They decided to wait until the two had finished their memorial before questioning them.
However, the young woman noticed Natsume and the others waiting nearby. Recalling some information she had recently acquired, she guessed they were there for her and Marcel. With a graceful gesture, she beckoned them to come forward.
After a brief round of introductions, they learned the young woman's name was Navia. They also learned that the person they were commemorating was Navia's father, who had also been Marcel's close friend.
What followed was a persistent, pointed interrogation. With the help of Navia, who had now been brought up to speed on the situation, they finally dragged the truth out of the President of the Chamber of Commerce. The culprit behind the Serial Disappearances of Young Women was none other than Marcel himself. At the same time, he was also the mastermind who had framed Navia's father, Callas, and indirectly caused his death.
Although Marcel had accidentally let slip an admission under their relentless questioning, he didn't seem particularly flustered. After all, Natsume and her companions had no concrete evidence. The testimony from the supporting actors in this drama was not enough to definitively prove he was the culprit.
Navia had initially thought she could finally clear her father's name, but Marcel's dismissive words ignited her fury. She couldn't believe that the man who had always taken such good care of her was the very person who had framed her father. Even worse, he remained utterly fearless after being exposed. She had never imagined a person could change so drastically. In a surge of impulsive anger, she began to argue fiercely with him.
During the heated exchange, Conan and the others were stunned to learn that Marcel was not originally from Fontaine. His real name wasn't Marcel at all, but a name they had already heard from the Pure-Water Spirit—Vacher.
Having obtained this critical piece of information, Conan and the others were momentarily conflicted. Should they tell him about the spirit?
After all, Genta and the others had promised the Oceanid that they wouldn't let Vacher see her. But now, they were running out of time. This was probably the only way to make him confess quickly. Regardless, they had to try.
To ensure everyone's safety, Natsume stepped forward, her calm presence cutting through the argument between Marcel and Navia. She fixed her gaze on the man and asked, "Do you have a lover who was also dissolved by primordial seawater?"
Marcel looked utterly stunned. "How did you know? I should have wiped out all the records, and I didn't mention this just now. Then there's only one possibility... you..."
Natsume gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Yes. We have seen her."
"Ah?! Really?! You've seen her!" Vacher cried out, his composure shattering. His face, once a mask of arrogance, was now twisted with desperate hope. He pleaded, "How is she now? Can you tell me where she is? You only need to let me see her, and I'll agree to turn myself in!"
Watching Vacher's reaction, Conan knew the man clearly still loved his vanished lover. Yet he couldn't comprehend it. Why would he then target innocent young women, forcing them to suffer the same fate as his own beloved?
He rushed to Natsume's side, his voice sharp with accusation. "Then you tell us first! Why on earth did you do this? Why did you harm those innocent women!?"
Hearing Conan's question, Vacher froze. A stiff, unnatural smile stretched the corner of his mouth. "Innocent? They are innocent... then was Vigneire not innocent?! Vigneire was dissolved by the primordial sea right in front of me. I watched with my own eyes as she turned into water and seeped into the ground, and I couldn't catch her no matter how hard I tried. Do you have any idea how much my heart ached then?!"
"No! You don't know!" he spat, his voice cracking with long-suppressed anguish. "You... and the Marechaussee Phantom, the Gardes, all of them! None of you know! No one believed what I said. Everyone treated me like a liar, thinking Vigneire just went missing during an adventure, and that I was just spouting nonsense because I couldn't accept it."
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