Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 7 - Chapter 2.9

 Even if justice dies

When I got out of the car that had come for me, I found myself at a temple, or maybe the site of a ruin.

Bright moonlight streamed into the roofless building, and vines coiled around the structure here and there. Parts of the walls and pillars had crumbled, but I could still tell that this place had once been majestic.

The rain that had been falling since the evening had stopped at some point.

In addition to the moonlight, minimal lighting had been installed on the ground, providing visibility even at night. As a result, I saw the person who’d summoned me here quite clearly.

“It’s been a long time, Stephen.”

The man was wearing his familiar white lab coat, and he was standing with his back to me. His hands were busy with something. “I’m sorry to ask this of you after calling you here, but wait just a few minutes,” he said. The screen of the small monitor in front of him showed a pulsing red organ—a throbbing heart. Then a hand holding a scalpel appeared on the screen, but that hand wasn’t human. It was a robotic arm.

“Remote surgery?”

The technology had become practical several years ago. At this point, it was possible for surgeons to perform operations from a different location by using a robot proxy.

However, I’d heard that only a handful of doctors could conduct remote operations that required high-level skill and precision, such as heart surgery and live-donor liver transplants. They would have to be virtuoso doctors like Stephen Bluefield, the former Inventor.

“They told me you were missing.”

I’d never dreamed I’d meet him here, of all places.

“As long as people live, there will always be work for doctors. Even now, people are screaming for help to save fading lives in the hidden corners of the world,” Stephen said, without looking back.

Surgery performed by moonlight. On the screen, the robotic arm followed the movements of his fingertips perfectly.

“In many areas of the world, there are still land mines that were buried in wartime. Remote surgery is also useful in regions that aren’t easily accessed.”

Maybe there were no more global crises, but it wasn’t as if war had disappeared entirely, and the aftermath of past disasters hadn’t been completely cleared away.

Even now that Stephen was no longer the Inventor, he was still working as a doctor. It was similar to the way Siesta had continued working as a private eye, even though she wasn’t the Ace Detective anymore.

“Thank you for waiting.”

Then Stephen powered down the monitor and turned to face me.

The whole process struck me as remarkably fast, but apparently he’d just performed the steps only he was capable of, and doctors who were physically on-site were taking care of the rest. This was more efficient and let him help the maximum number of patients. He’d told me about his philosophy as a doctor before.

“Thanks to you, both Nagisa and Siesta are doing great. Once again, I’m grateful.”

It had been about a year since I’d last spoken with Stephen.

The former Inventor had saved the lives of both detectives multiple times, and a year ago, he’d had a hand in the event that had awakened Siesta.

“No, I haven’t done a thing,” Stephen said, gazing up at the night sky. He wasn’t trying to be modest.

“So, Stephen. Is what you told me true?”

At the bar where I’d talked with Bruno, I’d gotten a phone call. When I’d followed the instructions I was given and climbed into the car he’d sent for me, I’d ended up here.

“If there really is a way to prevent the unknown crisis, then tell me about it.”

I hadn’t believed him right away. I’d decided to accept his invitation because if I didn’t hear him out, there’d be things I wouldn’t know.

“It’s true. We’ve been searching for a method the entire time.”

We? Was there somebody else here? As I looked around, the room was flooded with bright light from the floor. Those shafts of light illuminated an enormous object that towered behind Stephen.

“A gun turret?”

The thing was like a monument, so tall I had to tilt my head back to see it. Now that I was paying attention, I saw that it was covered in vines. The iron cylinder towering into the sky really did look like a cannon.

“This is an ancient relic. It isn’t used anymore,” Stephen told me. His eyes were on the object, too. “Where do you suppose the muzzle is pointing?”

In the next moment, I realized there were two silhouettes near the weapon. No, not just near it: One of them was actually sitting cross-legged on top of the enormous gun.

“That’s…”

The man was wearing a biker jacket and a robotic-looking mask that covered his whole head. His face, which was turned toward us, was blinking with a weird green light. I knew that guy. I’d first seen him ten years ago—in a certain movie that had been shown all across the US and become an instant blockbuster.

Full-Face, a former Tuner. His position was Hero.

In the Full-Face action movie series, a man who wore a motorcycle helmet developed superhuman powers one day and fought an evil organization. Surprisingly, the starring actor was a hero in the real world as well. Just like in the movie, he used actual superhuman powers, and he’d defeated all sorts of dangerous enemies with his own hands.

The other individual, who was standing near Stephen, was a tall, veiled woman in a dress with slits up the sides. Even though I couldn’t see her face, I could feel her aura as if it were an electrical current.

She was the former Tuner Youkaki. Her position had been Revolutionary.

She was so stunning that her beauty alone was said to be a weapon that could bring down nations. She’d inherited her position after the death of Fritz Stewart, the previous Revolutionary. How many countries had been destroyed as a result of her covert maneuvering? Although her peerless beauty was renowned, her face was always veiled, and regular people never got the chance to see it.

“Stephen, are you telling me the three of you have been searching for a way to prevent the unknown crisis?” I asked. It was hard to believe. Both Full-Face and Youkaki preferred to work alone, and it was rare for them to show themselves like this. Besides…

“If you’ve gotten this many former Tuners together, Bruno must have contacted you as well. Didn’t he ask you to prevent the unknown crisis with him?”

“Yes, but I turned him down,” Stephen said bluntly. “The Information Broker has his eyes on the same goal as us, but he’s far too unwilling to compromise. If it’s for the sake of justice, he’s prepared to return his body to the dust this very moment. And I think that’s dangerous.” He turned to me. “Kimihiko Kimizuka. I believe we feel the same way, correct?”

I wanted to deny it.

He’d seen right through me, though.

After hearing about Bruno’s past at the bar, I had seen the uncompromising justice he envisioned, and I believed his philosophy wasn’t wrong. However, I hadn’t wanted it to be the right answer. Bruno’s concept of justice was so flawless it scared me.

After all, I’d had a partner like him. Someone who hadn’t hesitated to lay down her own life.

“We sensed the danger in that consummate justice, and so we began to search for a way to bring about a new peace through a different approach. The key is to find a point of compromise. We’ll strike a balance between justice and evil, order and chaos.”

That mindset was just what I’d have expected from the pragmatic Stephen. As a doctor, he ultimately wanted to save the greatest number of lives, which meant he wouldn’t touch patients if there was no hope of saving them.

“What is this method? What do we have to do to end this without hurting anyone?” As I asked Stephen the question, I realized deep down that I’d been looking for such a method this whole time myself.

It was like how Noel had prayed for Bruno’s safety even as she tried to prevent the unknown crisis. I’d known this event would occur, but I hadn’t really wanted Siesta and Nagisa to go back to being Ace Detectives.

Ever since the end of the Great Cataclysm, I’d had just one wish—for both detectives to have peaceful, happy lives. That was all.

“The only way to protect the world is this.”

As Stephen spoke, a new shadow crept up to him.

“—We have only one request.”

It was the thing in the crow mask, the one we’d encountered on the cruise. It gazed at me with those hollow eyes, its red robe flapping in the wind.

“We struck an independent deal with the messenger from Another Eden. Of course, the Federation Government is not involved.”

“…A deal? What do they want?”

Another Eden had originally been trying to nail down some sort of treaty with the Federation Government. So they’d approached Stephen’s group with a deal that would take the place of that one?

“The origin text hidden in your jacket. All we have to do is give them that, and this will be over.” Stephen pointed at me, his keen eyes watching me from behind his glasses.

Had he known I possessed it when he called me here?

“Why the origin text, though? What do they want it for?”

“The origin text is supposed to have a special ability that will activate when it’s given to the person who should rightfully possess it. Another Eden fears that the power will be used against them.”

“The origin text wasn’t what they asked the Federation Government for, though. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Even on the cruise ship today, the thing in the crow mask had asked for the world’s secret. That couldn’t actually be the text.

“That was the compromise we reached after discussing the matter. They’ve promised that as long as they have the origin text, they’ll do no harm to the world.”

This was hard to believe.

These were all just verbal promises. There was no guarantee they’d keep them. Besides…

“If we give them the origin text now, the Ritual of Sacred Return won’t happen tomorrow. And then I won’t get what I’m after.”

If the ceremony wasn’t held, the promise Noel had made me about letting Siesta and Nagisa leave the Tuners would fall through.

All I wanted was for the detectives’ peace to be guaranteed after we headed off the unknown crisis.

“No—the Ritual of Sacred Return will proceed as planned. Use this.” Stephen took a book from his bag.

“A second origin text…?”

No. This looked very similar, but it had to be a fake.

“Will it fool Mia? Even if you made it?”

“We won’t need to fool the Oracle herself. We simply need to trick everyone else, and only temporarily. Think about it,” Stephen told me. “Mia Whitlock intentionally gave that to you. It means she won’t interfere with the choice you make.”

“…You mean even if she realizes this is a fake, she’ll accept it?”

“Yes. She must know that’s her final job as the Oracle.”

While hearing him out, I searched for a solid reason to reject Stephen’s proposal.

If I gave them this book, what would happen? I visualized the potential threats and risks. Were those risks enough of a reason to refuse their request? —Think. I thought and thought, and finally, something I’d seen long ago crossed my mind.

“—I want to drink tea with you again, Kimi.”

It was something the detective had said once. It had been her way of saying I want to live.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t had any tea for a while.”

Out of nowhere, I remembered that Siesta had looked a little lonely today.

Once we’d cleared up this incident, the three of us should go have a leisurely afternoon tea somewhere.

I heard a footstep. The thing in the crow mask had walked up to me.

“You want this that badly?”

My hand tightened on the origin text. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t find a decent reason to turn down Stephen’s proposal.

“People may call this a makeshift justice, but…”

Even so, if this made it possible to protect both the world and those two, then…

“We have a deal.”

The turning point of fate left my hands.

In the moonlit temple, I’d chosen a future.

Side Noel

When the hands of the clock had nearly reached midnight, I knocked at the door of the mansion’s guest room. “Come in,” said a familiar voice.

“Excuse me.”

When I opened the door, Bruno Belmondo was waiting for me. Since Grandfather had been invited to the Ritual of Sacred Return as a guest, I was having him stay at my house, a mansion administered by the Federation Government.

We’d lived as family, long ago, but now we were a host and her guest. The thought made an indescribable emotion threaten to well up inside me, and I gently pushed it down.

“You were out quite late.”

Grandfather was just hanging up his overcoat. He smelled faintly of alcohol. Drinking was one of his many pastimes.

“Yes, I was with an acquaintance. We had a pleasant time,” he explained simply.

He wouldn’t tell me who he’d met or what they’d talked about.

It had always been that way. Grandfather never said much about himself.

Was it due to his position as the Information Broker, or was it—

“Grandfather, what’s…?”

I’d noticed something that concerned me. On the table beside Grandfather, there was a half-empty bottle of water and something that looked like a medicine packet.

“Oh, it’s my blood pressure medication. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Grandfather? Are you sure you should be drinking?”

“…I’d rather you didn’t mention it to my doctor.” A little uncomfortable, Grandfather lightly raised one hand in a gesture of refusal.

It felt as if it had been a long time since I saw him do something that mischievous.

“And? What did you need?” Grandfather asked, as I hesitated in the doorway. “Is it about the ceremony tomorrow? If so, I really do intend to—”

“No, I know. You’d never abandon your mission.”

Even if danger was bearing down on him, he’d prioritize the world’s stability. That was how Bruno Belmondo the Information Broker lived. I understood that better than anyone.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m causing trouble for you,” Grandfather said, giving me a faint smile.

“No, it’s no trouble.” After all, you’re family, I started to say, but I promptly realized I wasn’t qualified to anymore.

Silence fell. There were other questions I should ask, really, but the words wouldn’t come. Grandfather gestured to a nearby chair, encouraging me to sit.

“…You know everything, Grandfather,” I blurted out. It was just a fact. “You know about politics, finance, culture, and art. Sometimes you know futures even the Oracle can’t see.”

He probably knew things the Federation Government and I didn’t know. And so… “I suspect you know what’s going to happen tomorrow, don’t you?” I stared down at my hands. “It’s true, isn’t it? If you are the all-knowing Information Broker, you know which way the world will tilt. That isn’t all; you even know about those of us who will live in it…”

“Noel.”

At the sound of my name, I looked up. Grandfather was smiling at me gently. He put his index finger to his lips. As I sat there, still and silent, he lowered himself into a chair at the table. The dim orange light threw shadows across his face.

Finally, polishing his usual cane with a cloth, Grandfather began to speak quietly. “I journeyed for a hundred years. In the most remote deserts and snowy mountains, I lived through the idle rumors you hear at run-down taverns. I discovered the sunken ruins of an ancient city, then found that an identical city had already been depicted in a certain best-selling novel. Several unknown species I found in the heart of a jungle fifty years ago now appear in picture encyclopedias for elementary school students. Items of knowledge are isolated points,” he told me. “In the space of a century, those points formed a line, becoming what the world considers common knowledge.”

That was how he’d lived as the Information Broker, and how he’d interacted with the world as a Tuner. Long before I was sent to him to be fostered, Grandfather had been traveling the globe, accumulating knowledge, then returning that knowledge to the world as the occasion arose.

“I know things. I know everything—but within the boundaries the world has drawn up for me.”

I hadn’t been expecting that repudiation.

Grandfather knew everything, but…

“What humans know will never grow beyond what the world has established for them.”

Grandfather was aware that his wisdom had limits.

“You mean there are things even the Information Broker doesn’t know?” I asked.

He gazed into the distance—out the window, beyond the pall of night, to bygone days. It was probably a view I knew nothing of. “Once, my travels took me to a forbidden territory. While there, I made a choice. Should I know ‘the world,’ or everything else? I chose the latter.”

What he was saying seemed very abstract. However, if I could believe his words, Grandfather had once chosen to know about everything except the world.

From another perspective, he was saying he’d given up on knowing the world.

What “world” did he mean?

“I may have said a bit too much. Liquor really should be taken in moderation.”

With a little smile, Grandfather wrapped up his story. He’d never actually told me if he knew what was going to happen at tomorrow’s ceremony.

But his story was the answer to my question. He’d said that Bruno Belmondo didn’t know everything about the world.

Why had he done that? If it had been the Ace Detective asking, what answer would he have given her? My fingers tightened around my phone.

“Now then, children should be in bed around this time,” Grandfather said, getting to his feet. He patted my head gently.

“…Honestly. I’m not a child.”

He only did that at times like this—no, Grandfather had always treated me like a child. I didn’t know whether that frustrated me or made me happy; I just stood there for a while, under his big palm.

The coolness of the wet towel he’d placed on my forehead when I was in bed with a cold. Camera film with sights from around the world on it. The warm hand that had held mine and led me along busy streets when I was small. Remembering these traces of Grandfather, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I’m sorry to disturb you when you’re tired.” Rising from my chair, I nodded to him, then turned to go.

“Noel.”

Just as I reached the door, Grandfather called to me. “Do as you see fit. We are humans of flesh and blood.”

I didn’t have a good response for that. “Good night,” I told him, then closed the door.