726 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"Gang Pok Hwae! Isn't the mistress the most suspicious suspect? Look at her!" The magistrate who appeared at Husanyangbang was Jo Panguan, a fan of Jegal Seorok and the one who had assisted in solving the murder case aboard the ship. "Please take a look at this." I discreetly pulled Jo Panguan aside and presented the evidence I had secretly discovered. "A weapon?" "Found it in the mistress's bedroom." "To find decisive evidence like this! There's no need to say more." A blood-stained weapon found in the mistress's room. It was such a clear piece of evidence that there was hardly any need to ponder. "No. This weapon is proof that the mistress is not the culprit." It was merely a matter of mistaken direction. I immediately corrected Jo Panguan's line of thinking. "What do you mean by that?" There was something Jo Panguan overlooked. Through prior information I had gathered, confirmed by what Bang Dae Un had told me. "There was already a thorough search by the constables. Surely, the constables wouldn't have missed checking under the bed." "Certainly..." When sneaking in some risqué doujinshi from a subculture event, the first place one thinks to hide it is under the bed, though it's usually also the first place to be found. The constables wouldn't have been clueless to such a fact. In sum, the evidence came across as too definitive to not be suspicious. "This weapon was placed after the constables' search was completed." "Could it not have been hidden elsewhere and then moved?" "Hiding it nearby only makes sense for a culprit who lacked time to dispose of the weapon." "Does that imply there's no need to hide a weapon nearby if it wasn't discovered previously?" He hit the nail on the head, and I nodded. "This weapon, in essence, is the culprit’s answer." "The culprit’s answer... to the detective’s problem." A notion once mentioned by Jegal Seorok and one I had echoed aboard the ship. Fortunately, Jo Panguan recalled it as well. "Why? Why would the culprit present such an answer? Why want the mistress to be seen as the culprit?" "That is..." It's strange. Why hide the weapon well, only to place it under the mistress's bed? The answer was simple. "Because another search was expected." "What?" "They feared that their identity as the culprit would be discovered. Therefore, they needed a reason to divert attention." "They anticipated your arrival...!" "Yes, the culprit knew that a famed constable would be visiting." If Jegal Seorok were a real person in this novel... It's absurd. How could someone with Jegal Seorok’s abilities exist? No, such a person doesn’t exist. It’s impossible to assert with certainty. The novel of Jegal Seorok was inspired by the tales of a constable with black hair, a so-called renowned constable, who is said to be visiting our mansion tomorrow. If he realizes I’m the culprit, what then? The actions the culprit would take if fearful. The answer the culprit devised. In other words... "The culprit is still within the mansion." ——— "Each time I meet Gang Pok Hwae, it’s like one surprise after another." It was flawless. Haha, to use the culprit's own trap against them... Kang Yoon Ho of the Money Lending Office could turn detective if he ever went bankrupt. "This is not a mere crime of passion. While extracting a confession through interrogation is key, ensuring no further victims from wrongful accusations is equally crucial." Ultimately, my goal is to exonerate the mistress. If I can persuade Jo Panguan, the matter can be swiftly resolved. "You're entirely correct." "Perhaps it would be wise to restart the investigation in its entirety. For instance, identifying anyone with a grudge against the wife might be a good approach." "It won't be easy. The mistress as the household's matriarch was an exemplar. While everyone acknowledges her strictness with rewards and punishments, I've heard she was never unfair to her subordinates." The presence of the weapon in the mistress’s room suggests it was more likely an attempt to deflect suspicion rather than borne out of a grudge. At this point, the reasoning doesn’t matter. The baton must be passed. "Surely there’s a hidden reason underlying all of this. But where in the world could there be a secret that Jo Panguan’s eyes couldn’t unveil? If you could... enlist the constables..." "Is there truly any need?" "Yes...?" "Isn't there already a constable who shines light on all truths right here?" As though the baton I passed with vigor was coming back to me. "I'm certain you have other capable constables, magistrate." "Are these the words of a detective who rushed over as soon as the enigmatic case surfaced?" Is there anyone who can solve it but you? Jo Panguan was not in a mood to be opposed. "I did indeed come in response to your summons..." It wasn’t that I came to solve the murder, but rather, to secure a new business partner. "I’ll be here, eagerly awaiting with hopeful anticipation, Gang Pok Hwae." Yet again, a detective. I must trust only you. With the hopeful gaze of Jo Panguan, I found it difficult to argue further. ——- “I’ve gone and done it…” As soon as I returned to the room where Gil San and Ga Young were, I grabbed my head in distress. “I cleared the mistress of accusations the moment I arrived and now they expect me to proceed to the next stage. Who would tell them to stop?” “I realized the answer immediately. How could I pretend not to know?” The mistress was about to be dragged away and tortured out of wrongful accusation. Turning a blind eye is not the mark of a hero protagonist. “Oh dear.” “I’ve cleared her name. Maybe now I should just claim ignorance.” It's as if after a long day of chugging coffee to leave on time for once, any free time in the afternoon gets instantly filled with extra assignments. “I doubt it will work out that way.” “Find the culprit? Deciphering why a guess isn’t wrong is one thing, but selecting the right answer is another level of challenge entirely. Sigh.” My deduction was merely a matter of ruling out an obviously wrong choice from a set of multiple choices. The difficulty of uncovering the perfect answer is far greater than explaining why a choice is evidently incorrect. "Master, if you sigh like that, your luck will run away." Ga Young, who had been glancing around the room, piped up as I let out a worried sigh. "That's right. Ga Young! You did a great job finding clues. Thanks to you, we have more time." "Yeah. Ga Young, you were just like Councilor Kang." Despite her expressionless face, Ga Young seemed to enjoy my straightforward praise. The mention of Kang Councilor caught my attention. "Councilor Kang? Did you read Jegal Seorok by any chance?" "Yes, I read your novel in Grandfather's room." "So that's how you recognized my novel even though it was just sitting on the bookshelf..." "You’re Jegal Seorok. I’m Councilor Kang." Her golden eyes sparkled with a peculiar liveliness over her impassive face. It seems Ga Young was genuinely impressed by Jegal Seorok. A female Watson joining the scene? It's a deeply rooted classic second creation material indeed. "Ga Young, if you sense anything else unusual, let me know." Since I was engaging in detective playacting myself, I welcomed this role-playing dynamic. "Yes. I’ll make up for my mistake." She’s still mindful of breaking the teacup earlier. Ga Young, like a child captivated by tokusatsu shows, surveyed the surroundings intently. "Jegal Seorok, Councilor Kang—they're both great, but shouldn't we have a concrete plan to catch the culprit?" Gil San, I'm in the middle of maid training, you know. "With Jegal Seorok and Councilor Kang on our side, we're invincible." "But..." "The culprit is a man." I gave a small smile at Ga Young’s determination, then shared my conclusion. "Hmm?" "They subdued the mistress and moved her to the bed by force. It’s not something an ordinary woman likely could’ve done." There was the possibility of a woman with martial skills, but that wasn't applicable in this mansion. "Indeed! To move someone without resistance, it’d likely be a man." "And it’s a familiar face." "The perpetrator is someone from the mansion, isn’t it? Of course, that would make them familiar." A valid observation, but I meant something else. "They had a special relationship." "What do you mean?" "Think about the bloodstains. Half the room was marked. There was a point of reference. What does that suggest?" "That they came in through the door?" "No, it means they were allowed past the entry point." "Oh...?" Gil San's face lit up as if understanding after having seemed clouded before. The bloodstains appeared only on one half of the reception room. This points to the initial attack occurring not at the door, but at the center of the reception. "There was a table in the reception room, overlapping with the point of reference. They likely had a brief conversation. But the circumstances seem really strange." The answer left behind by the perpetrator. And a further puzzle presented to me from the bloodstains. "What do you mean?" "The culprit is a man. The murder happened after nightfall. Meaning, the mistress opened the door for someone other than her husband to have tea with at night." "Uh...?" Gil San's expression turned from surprised to utterly shocked. It was understandable. The murdered woman was the mistress of the Husanyangbang owner. Only one man could have been allowed entrance at night. The issue was, that woman's man was absent that day. If she knew beforehand that her husband would be away... If she opened the door to a man visiting at night... "Were the two merely acquaintances?" ———— "You're asking about my sister's relationships with men?" A detective must verify their hypotheses. To gather detailed insights, I called upon the dead mistress's younger sister. "I’ve heard the deceased was a woman of grace and beauty. Surely there must have been secret admirers who harbored feelings for her." After offering sincere condolences, I smoothly transitioned to the core questioning. The deceased mistress was said to care deeply for her younger sister. If anyone knew about an affair, it would be her. To catch the culprit, honesty was essential. My pressing led to surprisingly forthright answers. "Everyone..." "You mean all the men of her age?" "It's strange for a man not to like someone as kind as my sister." The younger sister, a beauty resembling her deceased sibling, responded with an assertive expression. The deceased seemed like one of those women who are part of a male-dominated group and yet genuinely liked by all, the sincere and gentle type who wins everyone over. "Was there anyone she particularly interacted with amongst the men?" "No." Her reply was resolute, without a hint of hesitation. "Didn't you just say many had feelings for her?" "Unlike me, my sister was discreetly strict. It's as if she had set boundaries. She masterfully managed any man's interest, prompting them to naturally give up." Indeed. Those low-key endearing women had a solid grip when it came to relationships. Approachers confident in her interest were gently rebuffed, often only realizing they’d been turned down sometime later. "I understand. Still, even she must’ve allowed one or two men into her inner circle." Firmly maintaining boundaries means being able to discern those worthy of entering them. "Why else would the master choose her as his mistress? She was so thorough that she constantly reminded me of my own carelessness regarding men." If her sister is confident to this degree, it surely wasn’t an affair. "Was she really that cautious? What about any debt relationships?" "As far as I know, there weren’t any. She cleared all debts and even let me quit my previous job." "What about grievances? Did she have ongoing disputes or frequent quarrels lately?" "She was a straight shooter who left no room for resentment. Why do you keep doubting my deceased sister...?" Tears shimmered in her voice. It must have been harsh questioning a victim’s family member on such suspicions. "It’s merely part of the investigation." "She wanted to see me marry well...! She provided a home and land for me, a kind sister... Constable! Please, catch the culprit!" While maintaining a resolute demeanor, inside my hypothesis crumbled. How am I supposed to apprehend the culprit now? I responded not with a frustrated sigh, but with unwavering assurance. "I'll do my utmost." —— "It wasn't a lover then." I returned to the mistress's room to check thoroughly for anything I might have overlooked. "You never know. An affair is often something even family doesn't notice." Gil San, a compelling point indeed, but— "If even the family is unaware, how am I supposed to find out?" "That's something a renowned constable should uncover." "Let's not go there..." With my hypothesis crumbled, I found myself back in a maze of questions. "Even after questioning the servants, all they say is the same: she was not one to earn hatred, had no relations with men, and never caused financial distress. It seems I must continue looking into her potential secret lover." "Someone who’d have the kind of relationship where she'd open the door willingly in the night, share tea with even. But capable of sudden murder... It’s undoubtedly a lover, isn’t it? Did I miss something?" "I think your deduction is pretty solid." Was my hypothesis mistaken? If there was a secret affair, wouldn’t it have been difficult for the mistress to completely conceal it? "Clearly." As I was immersed in contemplating my woes, Ga Young approached, gazing intently at my face. "Ga Young, maybe this is as far as we go." "Master, do you want help?" Could it be she discovered a clue? "Did you sense any unusual scent or presence from the people we encountered today?" "No." Ga Young slowly shook her head. "She's not some kind of hound." "Still, she might have found something just like earlier." "One would hope so." "It's true." We're not dealing with an ordinary relationship. It's no affair. My deduction and the link between my hypothesis had unraveled, making proposing a new theory uneasy. ‘Am I still lacking?’ I could push with all my might and use all my skills and tricks to solve the case, but—though I can mimic a detective and embellish myself, there’s a naivety, a lack preventing me from becoming a true detective like those in novels. What do I do now? Momentarily lost. "I found it." “What?!” At the sound of the assistant’s voice, a spark ignited. "Do you need help?" I'm insufficient, but I can be supplemented. The voice of an assistant, ready to extend a hand when the detective is struggling, pierced into my heart. "Ga Young, please help." I nodded towards the assistant. "Okay, I’ll listen now." The assistant nodded her head toward the wall. "Listen?" [Ah, I knew it! You could hear it but acted oblivious!] A strange voice emerged. "Uh... Ga Young?" [I thought I'd die of frustration!] The voice bore differences in tone laden with emotion. While it clearly issued from Ga Young's mouth, it wasn’t her voice. "Who are you?" The new helper, summoned by the assistant, pointed at a peculiar expression Ga Young wasn’t wearing and introduced itself. [Me? The owner of this room.]