Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 7 - Chapter 1.4

 The name of the messenger who announces peace is…

“I deeply apologize for my repeated rudeness.”

Now unmasked, the young dignitary bowed her head.

We’d relocated to what appeared to be a tatami-floored tea room next to the main hall.

“It’s quite late for this, but please do enjoy.”

The girl offered me tea and sweets—dango and yatsuhashi. Had someone told her about the conversation we’d had in the car? But the one who’d wanted to eat these had been Nagisa…

“I’m terribly sorry. Miss Nagisa and Miss Siesta have various steps to complete…”

She and I were the only ones here. Nagisa and Siesta were in another room, going through the procedures for gaining temporary authority as Tuners. Since there was nothing I could do about that, I took another bite of dango and studied the young dignitary.

Although she’d removed her mask, she was still dressed in those kimono-like robes. Between her clothes and the quiet, tidy way she sat, she reminded me of a hina doll. Her features seemed more European than anything, though, and although she was still young, she was truly beautiful. This was the first time I’d ever seen a Federation Government dignitary’s real face. It made me conscious of the fact that there really had been living, breathing humans beneath those masks.

“…The kimono as well?” Although the girl had remained expressionless all this time, her eyes now wavered slightly. “Shall I remove the kimono, as well as the mask?”

Apparently she’d misinterpreted my attention. What an imagination she had.

“You did say I should show my sincerity,” she went on.

“If that was what I’d meant, I’d be a failure of a human being,” I replied.

“My apologies. That was a dignitary joke.”

“I’ve never even heard of such a thing.” How had she managed to say that with a straight face?

“It’s a method of communication. In our advance investigations, we learned that you are very fond of playing around with women, Mr. Kimihiko.”

“Who told you that? At least call it something besides ‘playing around.’”

Geez. Her face was cool, but this was what she was really like? She didn’t seem like she was trying to do a bit with me. She was serious, humble, and capable of being considerate, but she marched to the beat of her own drum: These were my impressions of this girl.

“What’s your name?”

She’d somehow managed to take the wind out of my sails. Without really meaning to, I asked her for her name.

“Noel de Lupwise,” she said, looking me straight in the eye. “My code name as a government official is simply ‘Lupwise.’”

“If you’ve managed to become a Federation Government high official at that age, you’re really racing up the ladder.”

“The Lupwise family is descended from the French aristocracy, and our position in the Federation Government is hereditary.”

Noel told me a little more about herself.

She’d become a government official three years ago, when her older brother, who should have been the next head of the family, had vanished. While she hadn’t yet gotten many opportunities to handle important jobs, the Federation Government was currently short on people—partly due to the “unknown crisis” she’d just told us about—so even newcomers like her were being put to work.

“I understand the situation, sort of, but…if they’re focused on resolving this unknown crisis, and you’re new, wasn’t there someone who was more suited to the job?”

For example, one of the dignitaries we’d dealt with before had been a crafty old woman code-named Ice Doll. A while back, she’d given the Ace Detective plenty of orders.

“Yes. In fact, other officials are already working on it as well. However, they have another large task to accomplish right now. That was what I wanted to tell you about,” Noel said. That was why she’d originally called me to this room; she’d said there was more to discuss.

“It’s the Ritual of Sacred Return,” she went on, using a phrase I’d never heard before. “Two weeks from now, a peace ceremony celebrating the one-year anniversary of the resolution of the Great Cataclysm will take place, led by the Federation Government. Since the detectives and their assistant saved the world, we would like to have you participate in the ceremony.”

Noel held out an invitation.

Apparently, all the former Tuners, any others who’d contributed to the resolution of the Great Cataclysm, and some global VIPs were being invited to this ceremony.

“You’re holding it in France?”

“Yes. I know it’s very far away, but do you think you could attend?”

It was to be in two weeks. Winter break would be over by then, but it wasn’t like we weren’t allowed to take time off from university.

“What’s going to happen during this ritual, specifically?”

“I believe a similar concept from Japanese culture would be Otakiage,” Noel answered.

Otakiage. That’s the Shinto ritual where they burn old, used-up charms and things.

“During the Ritual of Sacred Return, the sacred texts compiled by the Oracles will be burned in order to purge past crises and pray for new peace.”

“…That sounds kind of religious. So you’re going to burn all the sacred texts?”

Mia had shown them to me a few years ago, and I was pretty sure there had been more than a hundred thousand of them then. If they meant to burn those in some kind of order, wouldn’t it take them longer than three full days?

“No, not all of them. However, we must burn the origin text, no matter what.”

“Origin text”? I’d never heard of that.

“It is also referred to as the original sacred text. Possessing it serves as proof that one is the legitimate Oracle. It’s written in a language only Oracles can read, and it’s said to hold rules regarding the sacred texts…but even I don’t know if that’s true.”

Even ordinary members of the Federation Government weren’t allowed to read the sacred texts, and apparently the origin text was even more restricted.

“I’m told that the origin text has a certain special power. By burning it, the Oracle’s God-given abilities will be formally returned, which will serve as proof that no further crises will occur on Earth,” Noel said. “…Although I’ve only heard that from others. The Oracle knows the details.”

“Then, once the Ritual of Sacred Return is over, Mia and the other Tuners will be officially discharged?”

“In the final analysis, yes, that is what it would mean. At the very least, the Federation Government will no longer ask the former Tuners to resolve crises… I’m aware that the request I’ve just made seems to contradict this, and I do apologize for that.”

So the Federation Government planned to hold the Ritual of Sacred Return in order to set the Tuners free, but the “unknown crisis” of these dignitary killings had broken out right before it was to happen. The timing was incredibly bad, and Siesta and Nagisa had ended up getting the short end of the stick.

“All right, I understand. I’ll fill the other two in later.”

The two detectives were the main invitees to the ritual. I was only their assistant, and I should respect their decision.

Even so…

“Noel, would you promise me something?” I bowed my head to the official from the world’s government. “If Siesta and Nagisa solve this case, and the Ritual of Sacred Return ends without incident, I want you to release them from their mission as Tuners entirely this time.”

I gazed at the tatami flooring, then closed my eyes.

“Yes, I promise,” she answered promptly. I opened my eyes again. “But why would you go that far, Mr. Kimihiko?”

That was simple. I raised my head. “My wish is—”