Memory 33 (significant positive)

[thinkoutsidethebox]

Trial: Battler's failure of an objection [EP5] Form of a Jasper-colored feather. Stick it behind your ear. 2/3 uses remaining.

In the cathedral, the trial has concluded with Beatrice's defeat.

......Everything had been decided.
"No one can hear you. You're a phantom, a mere illusion! Go back to being a simple portrait! You're a faint phantom of a witch, born when Kinzo shared his illusion with his relatives!! That is the truth chosen by this world!!"
"So, great Lady Lambdadelta!! Now is the time for you to bury the ridiculous and foolish illusion that this witch claims is the truth...!!"
"Goodbye, Beatrice. .........I made you a witch expecting that you would either become my friend or help distract me from my boredom. And you've answered to my expectations. The second one, that is. ...Eheheheheheheheheheheheheheh!!"
"......I......am a witch...... Even if Lady Lambdadelta doesn't acknowledge it......I'm a witch........."
"Oh, sure, but you wouldn't even be capable of believing that if I hadn't become your guardian in the first place...!! Yep, this is 'game over' for you. You will be buried in accordance with the rules of your game board. ......What happens to the losers in your game, again...?"
"Beato has already shown that clearly in a previous game. You get made into a mound of living flesh before being tossed into the goats' dinner party and getting chewed to bits."
"Now there's a fitting end for you, Beatrice. And I did come all the way here just to hear the death cries of one as haughty as you...!!"
One by one, a massive number of goat attendants slipped out from the shadows of the pillars and began to fill the cathedral.

The goats paid no attention to Natsuhi, who was seated in the center, but the crowd completely enveloped her.
From Beato's point of view up on the balcony, ......it probably looked like a huge boiling pot of goats.
"............Heh, ......*cackle*, ...hahahahahahahahahahaha!! That's right, ......the contract has been like this since the beginning...!"
"Yep. Our contract said that whenever you stopped entertaining me, you would relieve me of my boredom with your life!"
"Come, strip the title of witch from this woman and throw her into the pot of goats!!"
Suddenly, there were goats standing right behind Beato.
......They lifted her up roughly.
"Let me hear some nice screams. It's the wine you've been fermenting all this time."
"......Then perhaps refusing your request will be my final strike back at you..."
"Yeah! I made her say it! Uhihihahaaah!! The best screams always come from a girl who's just said some tired line like that. ......Fall! Beatriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiceeee......!!!"
The goats carrying Beato no longer viewed her as their master.

After holding her above the pot of clambering goats, which were snorting heavily in anticipation......
They threw Beato's slender body into the air.

All at once, the squirming goats faced the heavens and raised their arms.

It was almost as though they would be able to forget their pain for just a short while by devouring her flesh.
As she flew through the air, Beato tried to smile boldly, ......but it was so stiff that it seemed even more pathetic, greatly pleasing Bernkastel.
When Beato fell into the pot, the goats caught her.

Of course, they didn't do it gently.
The arms of countless goats pulled at her flesh to keep it for themselves.
They tried to tear her to bits.

It didn't have to be flesh.
Hair, fingernails, shoes, even bits of her dress worked just fine.
The mouths of those goats were the gateway into hell.

However, Beato was too big to enter into that gateway.
So they had to chew and tear her into bits small enough to fit into it...!
.........Beato let out a bold laugh.
She laughed from inside the pot of goats.
However, her expression was very different from the one she had wanted. .........It was an expression not of a witch, ......but of a single human yelling in her death throes.
Then, the sea of goats parted.
Dlanor leapt forward, slicing all the goats in her path with a single flash of her long sword.

......It was a thin slice, like cutting through butter.
The goats were surprised by Dlanor's sudden appearance and stepped back.

In the center, Beatrice cowered in tatters, ......sobbing......
"What's this supposed to be? Dlanor, Inquisitor of Heresy."
"My apologies, but I have something to SAY. There is someone who has an objection to this RULING. His name is...Ushiromiya Battler."
All of the goats stared at Battler.
"What is unsatisfactory about the court's RULING...? ......Do you possess any new evidence or truth sufficient to request a RETRIAL...?"
".....................Gah......"
I get it. ......Dlanor is offering me a helping hand.

If she hadn't jumped in here, it'd all be over.
And now, I fully understand how I'm supposed to fight.

But because I understand how, ......I am unable to fight right now.
After all, I can't win by simply countering Erika's truth.
If I want to deny her truth, I'll need to present a different one.

...And I still don't have a clue what that truth is......!
"There is nothing that is not healed with TIME. And there is no truth that cannot be reached if you spend enough time SEARCHING. ......However, all trials have a limited time in which the truth must be DECIDED. Therefore, a truth that cannot be reached within that limited time cannot become TRUTH."
......Yeah, ...I know that......!!

By now, everyone is certain that Natsuhi oba-san is the culprit.

It might be too late now, ......even for the real truth...!
Eva oba-san's violence will probably go unstopped, and no one is even thinking about protecting Natsuhi oba-san.

It's no longer a situation where we can say 'oh, the truth will eventually be found'.
And in this world, ......the time remaining to expose the truth...is very short.
It's already 24:00, at the game's end.
The police won't come.
The truth won't be revealed!

Only the truth decided upon here and now will remain...!
".................."
I slowly stood up, ......walked in front of Beato, ......and faced Dlanor.
.........I have no plan.
I don't know the truth.

......However, ......if I don't jump in now, I won't get another chance to fight...
The red used by Erika's group is mercilessly strict.

I seriously doubt that I can put together a truth where Natsuhi oba-san isn't the culprit without violating that red......
"......Why the uncertain FACE? How PATHETIC."
"D, .........dammit........."
"......B, ......Battler......"
"I'll be the one to kill you. ...I want to keep that promise. ......And yet, ......right now, ......I don't have any plan at all......"
"............That's okay... In this world, ......there is no truth. ......The truth is made later on and overwrites what comes before it. Real truth......doesn't exist anywhere......"
"Now this is a splendid scenario, Dlanor. It just wouldn't be interesting unless a knight appears before the princess's execution. ......And there's nothing better than watching heads roll before your very eyes! Erase the old piece and the unneeded player all in one go!!"
"As you WISH. Glory be to the great Lady Bernkastel! I am the Head Inquisitor of Heresy, Dlanor A. Knox...!! Step forward, Ushiromiya Battler!!"
"D, ......dammit, I've got nothing more to lose... If you wanna see me struggle, here you goooooooooooo!!"
The only reason Erika's theory is so strong is because of those seals.

She was given red so quickly just because Lambdadelta easily bought the alibis created by those seals.
But the seals aren't red truth!
Just sticking paper in a door crack is far from perfect.

There's no way something like that can prove anything with 'certainty'...!
"Begin, Battler!! Ready to let those goats turn you into a pile of meat along with your beloved Beatrice?!"
"Oh, and I'll mix the leftovers from your precious sister into that pile. Wouldn't that make for a wonderful stack of meat? ......Then we can wrap it up in a dumpling, steam it and maybe add some soy sauce!!"
"No, the best way would be to fry them in a pan with some eggs and ketchup!!"
""Ahyahhahahahahahahhhayhhyahyayhyahahahaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!""
"D, dammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt!! Can't we doubt the reliability of these seals of Erika's?! Something like wedging some paper in a door can't create a perfect alibi! It might be that someone noticed by chance and happened to put it back in the same place...!!"
The blade of my blue truth should have slashed diagonally through Dlanor's chest.
...However, Dlanor's expression didn't budge in the slightest, and there wasn't a single wound on her chest.
"I was wondering what you'd throw out there, but this is ridiculous..."
"......Allow me to explain. This is what I sealed the doors with. ......Did you think this was paper, Battler-san?"
Erika once again held up the thing that looked like brown paper.
"This is duct tape. Its adhesive power is extremely strong. ......I used scissors to make it easier to tear."
"Furthermore, I wrote my signature, which cannot be reproduced, across the entire tape, as well as the door and the frame on either side. Therefore, it's impossible to tear it off without leaving a mark, and it's impossible to reattach too...!"
"Permission to unsheathe the 'Red Key'."
"Granted."
"Due to the above, the seals are guaranteed to be PERFECT. <Miss> Erika's seals were not broken by anyone, and deception is IMPOSSIBLE!!"
"I'll acknowledge Erika's seals...! However, Eva oba-san's seal on Genji-san's room should be different!!"
"Eva's seal was of the same type as <Miss> Erika's. That is because this method of sealing was one that <Miss> Erika and Eva conceived of together after DINNER."
"Erika said something about a scientific investigation and fished through the chemicals in Grandfather's room, right?! There might have been some kind of solvent in there!! If you used that, you might be able to tear off the duct tape without leaving fingernail marks!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. It is impossible to tear off any of the seals by any method without leaving marks."
"Please, allow me to speak. There were no suspicious marks on any of the seals...!"
"Therefore, it's been proven that nothing was done to any of the seals. Repeat it!!"
"Yes, gladly. All of Erika and Eva's seals were not tampered with in any way that hindered their ability to act as seals, such as being scraped off."
"......Dammiiiiiiit..., damn you, leaving duct tape that leaves marks all over the place......!"
Dlanor isn't my only enemy.
There's also her subordinates, Gertrude and Cornelia.
And also Erika and her master Bernkastel.
And even Lambdadelta, the one who hijacked Beato's game!

Everyone in this cathedral is an enemy.
That fierce rush of red immediately repelled my feeble truth.

......It's obvious why. I don't have any alternate truth.
Even at this final stage, ......I have nothing...
"Were the seals all that you had to DISCUSS? You promised to give it everything you've GOT."
"............Gah........."
If I only knew a truth that could prove Natsuhi oba-san's innocence...
If I could only make a theory that weaves its way through Erika's red......

......Dammit, I don't know anything!!
"......Do you have any chance of winning...?"
"......I left it at home. Mind if I go back and get it?"
"I have already lost. ......I am prepared for my fate."
"......I promised that I'd kill you. So I won't let anyone else do it. I'll definitely keep that promise...!!"
"Liar. ......I'll never trust your promises again."
"Huh? When did I ever make a promise to you and lie about it...?"
"............Heheheh, ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*. ......After hearing you say that, hell might not be so bad. ......Ehahahahahahaha, gahahahahahaha...!! Kill us! Bernkastel, Lambdadelta...!! Hyahhahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha!!"
Beato let out a shrill cry, overcome with laughter.
......It was a broken laugh, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Battler's words would no longer reach her ears.
She kept on laughing insanely, like a broken record......
"Is it OVER? PITIFUL. I truly am DISAPPOINTED, Ushiromiya Battler...!!"
"Hyahhahahahahahahahaha, hiihhahahahahahahaahahahahhyahahahahahaaaaaahh!! Kill me, Dlanor!! Slice me in half with that red long sword of yours!! Hyahhahahahahahahahahaahhaaaaaaahhh!!"

Nn, ......nngaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhh!!
"Let's assume that there exists some method X that can lead someone to the second floor of the guesthouse without passing through the lounge! Erika claims that the windows and such were sealed, but she can't prove that she sealed all possible means of entry! There's a possibility that Erika was unable to seal entrance X because she couldn't find it!"
"Knox's 3rd. It is forbidden for hidden passages to EXIST! As the detective, <Miss> Erika sealed all ENTRANCES. Passages that the detective cannot find are hidden PASSAGES. Therefore, there are no entrances that <Miss> Erika cannot find!!"
"I present the possibility that Erika's lookout in the lounge wasn't perfect!! During the two hours Erika spent there, she really observed everything without looking away for a second?! It might be possible for someone to have passed through the lounge during a small gap without at least Erika seeing them!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. Lady Erika's lookout in the lounge was perfect. There were no small gaps or carelessness or times when she looked away for even a second."
"Please, allow me to speak. Therefore, during their entire meeting in the lounge, only Rosa went up to the second floor!"
"But was that really Rosa oba-san herself?! There's a possibility that someone disguised themselves as Rosa oba-san!! Or maybe she was actually holding a large suitcase with someone hiding inside it!"
"Knox's 10th, it is forbidden for a character to disguise themselves as another without any CLUES! There have been no hints suggesting that someone had disguised themselves as Rosa! Furthermore, Erika has confirmed that she wasn't carrying any luggage large enough to hide a human IN!"
"Natsuhi oba-san was being threatened by someone!! The uninvited, unknown guest X is the true culprit!! How can you be sure that we are the only ones on this island?! The true culprit is someone else!"
"Knox's 1st. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the STORY!!"
"Maybe they were killed with poison in a remote murder!! Umm, ......with a strange drug that can make a cut appear in someone's neck when they die...!! That type of murder has a delayed effect, so even with an alibi-"
"Knox's 4th. It is forbidden for unknown drugs or hard to understand scientific devices to be USED!!"
"There's a chance that there existed a murder device X in the cousins' room and Genji-san's waiting room that made a remote murder possible...!! It had some secret mechanism that still hasn't been discovered, and-"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Anyways, there exists a culprit other than Natsuhi oba-san!! If you want to deny that, try and repeat in red that 'none of the characters shown were the culprit'!!"
"Knox's 6th. It is forbidden for accident or intuition to be employed as a detective TECHNIQUE!!"
"You say that everyone except Natsuhi oba-san has an alibi?! You're forgetting one person!! Who's gonna prove that Erika herself has an alibi?!!"
"Knox's 7th. It is forbidden for the detective to be the CULPRIT!!"
"Unless she's caught red-handed, you should never be able to deny the possibility that Natsuhi oba-san is innocent!! Can you even deny future possibilities, like if a piece of evidence X that Erika hasn't discovered proves Natsuhi's innocence?!"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Th, this tale is filled with malicious lies!! The tale itself has become a trap to capture Natsuhi! The tale should be constructed only from impartial truths!!"
"Knox's 9th. It is permitted for observers to let their own conclusions and interpretations be heard!"
"I was the culprit, so maybe I gave George-aniki and the others a slow-acting poison to make them die after 24:00, then silently slit their throats when I returned at 3:00 AM!! I could have done it so quietly that Erika wouldn't hear...!!"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED!!"
"Everyone committed suicide...!! So there is no culprit!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. All deaths were homicides."
"Erika didn't personally perform an autopsy on the corpses, right?! It should be possible for people who aren't the detective to mistake an autopsy!!"
"Please, allow me to speak. Know that none of the corpses would ever lead to a mistaken autopsy!"
"Then maybe there were body double corpses!! They prepared corpses beforehand that closely resembled the victims...!!"
"Know that no corpses exist except those of characters who have appeared in the story."
"Th, then why can you claim that Krauss oji-san is dead without his corpse?!! Doesn't that violate Knox's somethingth or whatever?!!"
"Know that the red truth is simply truth, and there is no need to provide evidence or proof!!"
"Wh, ......what the........d, ......dammiiiiiiiiiiiiittt......!!"
In the face of these insane arguments, ......any attempts to overturn the truth where Natsuhi oba-san is treated as the culprit are completely meaningless.
Each time I brandished my desperate blue truths, Dlanor and the others' red truths knocked me down to the floor.

......It was getting hard to even stand back up again.

...Does that mean......my body is telling me that I'm about to surrender...to the truth where Natsuhi oba-san is the culprit...?
Their red truth is getting more and more perfect......

Each time I think I can slip through a chink in their armor, Dlanor smacks me down with the red long sword of Knox......
"......Hihihiha, hiihii, ......haha, hahahahahaha......""............Beato......"
"That's enough, Battleer.........Now, the endless torture that torments me...no, us...will finally end. ......Let us fall together into the depths..."
"...............Gah..."
I don't...want to see Beato like this......
Her majesty as the ruler of the Golden Land......her enthusiasm as my rival......are completely gone.
She's just a pitiful woman who's been trampled over and who has lost all hope, with tears streaming down her face and a tragic smile that I can't bear to look at......
"Does your truth no longer EXIST?"

No, ......I have one...last thing.
"......And that is a different truth, where Natsuhi isn't the CULPRIT?"

......That's not it.

All I can do is prove that Natsuhi oba-san isn't the culprit.

After that, ......I can't show what the real truth is at all......
"......But even so, ......maybe at least you'll be saved that way."
"Why.........?"
"......I can show without a doubt that Natsuhi oba-san isn't the culprit. ...However, I cannot show a different truth. ......If Erika's truth is dispersed, the crime will return to darkness, and there might still be room for you to exist."
"Yeah, if you can do it. .........But if you can't show a new truth, that means you're incompetent and useless as a player. I'll have you vanish from this game board for all eternity."

At this point, the Game Master is Lambdadelta, ......and she's there too.

This probably doesn't mean losing a single game, but being banished from this game for all eternity for losing.
From what the witches have said in the past, I can faintly imagine the place 'pieces' are sent when they're banished.

It's known as the depths of oblivion, ......an eternal darkness that lies on the far side of an eternal oblivion and where there is no concept of life or death...
......I'm going to disappear, aren't I...

However, ......Beato will remain.

As long as Beato remains, no matter how suspicious Natsuhi oba-san is, ......there will always remain space for the witch to be the culprit...in other words, room for Natsuhi oba-san to not be the culprit.
......As long as that space exists, ......someone will eventually expose the truth.

It doesn't have to be me.
Anyways, ......eventually, someone will smash this fake truth to pieces......!
I understood that this was the time for me to abandon myself for the sake of this other person who would eventually appear, ......for the sake of the real truth......
"......Well, ......it looks like I'll have to break my promise to kill you after all."
"Don't. Don't leave me as the only one alive. I'll disappear with you. Let that be your final tribute to me. ......I beg you, if you just do this one thing, I don't need anything else......"
".........Have you used up everything you HAVE? ......I really am disappointed in you, Ushiromiya Battler."
"Quickly, perform his requiem. That way, I'll have an open field in which to expose Natsuhi-san's sin."
"These guys really are interesting. Beatrice. Ushiromiya Battler."
"......But I've gotten tired of this. You aren't needed in 'our game'. .........*giggle*giggle*giggle*, ehehehehahahahahahahahahahah!! Do it, Dlanor!!"
"This is the END. ......If you still have one last bit of power, let me see you muster it now, in your last MOMENTS...!"
"Nn, ..................nnnggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhhhh!!!"
It's small, but it's a sparkling red truth.
The last trump card that Virgilia gave me...!!

Erika......this takes your theory back to square one...!!
"If you can, why not go ahead?"

Take thiiiiiiiiiiis!!!
"Ushiromiya Natsuhi is not the culprit!!!"

The red truth is simply truth, with no evidence or proof needed.........!!

This will make Dlanor stagger...!!

Even if that's all it does, ......it's the first and last strike I can make...!!
"Knox's 2nd. It is forbidden for supernatural agencies to be employed as a detective technique."
............Huh......?My......red truth.........was blown away by Dlanor's red long sword......
"......In this court, if anyone other than witches is going to speak the red truth, they'll have to construct an appropriate proof for it. Erika has been following this procedure, right...?"

True, Erika hadn't used the red herself even once so far.

......She always told Bernkastel, who is a witch, to repeat her statements......
"Your red truth isn't something you obtained for yourself. ......It's a supernatural truth given by a paranormal being. In other words, it isn't reasoning. It's no better than a random thought......"

I, ......in that case, ......if I have Virgilia...
...say the same red truth......
Where is......Virgilia.........?
"If you are to present that red truth, you must construct an appropriate ARGUMENT. ............Can you do THAT......?"
No, .........it's impossible.........

I just have the truth that Natsuhi oba-san isn't the culprit............without any basis or evidence.
".........See......? ......Real truth......is a very fragile thing. ......Does real truth exist...? And is it necessary......?
......Even without it, ......the tale will continue on............Battleeer........."
"Come on, Battler. ......Prove the red you have SHOWN. ......If you cannot, this is GOODBYE."
".........Then, ......goodbye. ......Sorry, Beato."
"......Don't say that. Thanks for sticking around with me. ......It was such a blood-stained tale.........but it was fun..."
"The trial is now FINISHED. FINISHED. FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINI
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINI
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHEDFINISHED
FINISHED!
<Die the death>! <Sentence to death>!!
<Great equalizer is the death>!!"
Then, the trial for the 5th game was over.

The detective, Furudo Erika, accused the culprit, Ushiromiya Natsuhi.
There are three riddles that the detective must explain.

The first is the 'who dunnit'. Who is the culprit?

As previously stated, it is Ushiromiya Natsuhi.
The second is the 'how dunnit'.

How did they carry out the crime?
During the hour between 24:00 on October 4, 1986 and 1:00 the next day, Ushiromiya Natsuhi went to the cousins' room on the second floor of the guesthouse and the servant waiting room on the first floor of the mansion. There, she carried out the murders.

It is only possible for the crime to have taken place during that hour, and for that one hour, alibis have been proven for all characters except Natsuhi.
From the sky, a massive, red long sword, even greater in size than the one Dlanor held, came crashing down like a thunderbolt, and pierced through Battler's heart, pinning him in place while he still stood......

In that instant, Beatrice became a golden splash and faded away, ......and her former minions disappeared as well.
As the heartless witches looked down at the cathedral's center, laughing coldly, ......all that remained was Battler, with the red long sword sticking through him, and Dlanor.
"Agh.........nng, .........gghh........."
"......Rest in PEACE, Ushiromiya Battler. What a SHAME. I thought you were a more capable person than THIS."
"............Guh............"

Battler blew bubbles of blood, ......closed his eyes slowly, .........and expired......
Dlanor stared on in silence, ......then turned on her heels when she saw his life leave him.

After that, all that remained was the corpse of this sorrowful man, pierced by the sword that acted as a massive, red grave marker, and lit by the faint glow let in from the cathedral's skylight.........

Notes:
- IT SURE WOULD BE NICE IF IT REALLY ENDED LIKE THIS but she already remembers Battler reviving and beating her
- Beato sure died there after being eaten by demon goats, though. Which is why Battler needed to re-create her in the next game.
- Battler's really dumb sometimes ugh why did he win
- I guess there was a comment about Battler's sister getting turned into meat in there? That's interesting
- Dlanor is the best though