Memory 24 (trivial negative) & 25 (significant negative)

[thinkoutsidethebox]

Un-sticky duct tape :( [EP6] Form of a large candy. You have to swallow it whole.

The next room over was empty. It was very quiet there...
Even pressing her ear against the wall wouldn't enable her to listen in on the voices in the cousins' room.
Even with hearing power boosted by the detective's authority, it would probably be impossible to make out anything.

This room was the farthest down the hall, a long ways away from the cousins' room......
ERIKA: And last time, my room was right next to theirs. ......I see...so he's placed my room farther away this time.
DLANOR: It is a modification of the initial arrangement well covered by the powers of authority given to the Game MASTER. It is, perhaps, a quite reasonable first MOVE.
ERIKA: Well, it's better for me that way too. Like I'd want to hear those brats' squeaky voices as they play cards.
DLANOR: ............
This whole time, Erika had been facing the desk and toying with something.
......She was preparing some of those duct tape seals from before.
She had asked Kumasawa for the stickiest tape in the place.

She drew a complicated signature that could not be counterfeited across it with a permanent marker, then began making notches across it.
This way, she could stick this over a place that she wanted to prove had been closed, creating a powerful seal equal in strength to the red truth.

Those menacing seals had cornered Natsuhi so thoroughly in the previous game...
ERIKA: .........Nn...... ......Great...
DLANOR: Is something WRONG?
ERIKA: ......He got me. ......That Battler doesn't let anything get by him, does he?

Erika shrugged and showed the piece of duct tape she had torn off to Dlanor.
At a glance, Dlanor couldn't tell what had annoyed Erika.
However, as soon as she held it, she realized the difference right away.
DLANOR: ......This won't be any GOOD.
ERIKA: Yep. It's barely sticky at all. This won't reach even close to the red truth.
Even duct tape can be of low quality, and it sometimes gets weaker with age.

The tape Kumasawa had found was a bit too weak even for normal use. It wasn't nearly sticky enough to be used as a detective's seal.
DLANOR: It is possible to tear it off CLEANLY. This cannot count as proof of a SEAL.
ERIKA: ......I guess Battler isn't as totally incompetent as I thought. He probably tampered with all the duct tape on the island using the authority of the Game Master.
Letting Erika get her hands on duct tape gave her a fatal weapon to use against witches. The previous game had proven this fact.

And so, Battler had removed that weapon from the entire mansion......
DLANOR: Most likely, all possible substitutes for duct tape have also been tampered WITH.
ERIKA: ......Probably. Well, it isn't really so bad. At least this way, I won't have to look like a fool crawling all over the outer wall in the cold rain.

Erika tossed the duct tape aside carelessly and flopped spread-eagled onto the bed...
ERIKA: Anyways, waiting calmly for the crime and smoking a pipe is also part of a detective's role. ......I doubt you'll have any role until the first twilight begins, so why not vanish off somewhere and take a break. .........I imagine that just the sight of my face is tiresome for you.
DLANOR: ......I do not SMOKE. I am just a KID.
ERIKA: Oh, really? ......I wish I could. ...Well, only if it really is as refreshing as smokers claim.
DLANOR: ......It seems...that you are not in high SPIRITS.
ERIKA: .........Does it look that way?
Erika answered lazily, still looking up at the ceiling.
That in itself was half an answer...
The silence between the two was filled by the sound of the wind and rain.

Battler's revival as territory lord; fight vs. Battler's truth. [EP5 ????] Form of a tiny golden cage filled with seven jasper birds. 5/7 remaining.

At this point, ......Ushiromiya Battler...knows.
And he understands.

......He's found.........this tale's......everything......
At that time, ......it seemed as though......a faint golden light leaked out of the gaps in his clenched fist.
The two witches had their backs turned, and Erika was laughing at Battler's corpse.
"......That really is pathetic, Battler-san. I'll make your foolishness into a statue, and for all eternity.....................Huh......?"
At that time, Battler's chest......no, .........the red long sword that pierced Battler.........began to sparkle gold from deep within his chest......
That bright golden light.........began to change the red sword's color......turning it gold......
".........What's going on......?"
"B, ......Battler is......, ......what.........is this......?!""............ah."
"Gwah...!!"
Battler coughed up blood and groaned.
His consciousness...came back.
His will to live, his will to fight...came back...
The red long sword which pierced Battler......could no longer be described as such.
...By now, it had become a golden long sword.
Then.........slowly......slowly.........it pulled itself out of Battler's chest......
It finally pulled itself out of Battler and started dancing through the air......then stood up in front of Battler's eyes as though it knew who its master was.
Battler, crawling on the floor and moaning, grabbed the golden long sword......and though it looked painful, ......he slowly.........rose to his feet once again.
"......This sure is an elaborate act. ...Is this one of your tricks, Lambda?"
"Th, .........that glow............i, it couldn't be........."
Lambda stared wide-eyed at that bright golden glow in awe...
When she noticed that Battler's resurrection wasn't part of a script Lambda had thought up, Bern also frowned slightly...
"......Sorry. Retrials will not be permitted. Siesta Sisters, eliminate this resurrection illusion..."
"Understood. 45, 410, firing permission granted."
"I, ......it's......unable to target!! IFF error, code 999...!"
".........Eeek."
"...999, you say..., impossible...!"
The Siesta Sisters hesitated, unable to carry out Bernkastel's orders...
"Lambda. What kind of farce is this? ......The Illusion of the Witch has been completely destroyed, and the trial ended with our victory."
".........Sorry, Bern. ......You'll have to stick around a bit longer. .........Isn't that right, Ushiromiya Battler......?"
"............Yeah. ......Sorry to keep you waiting, Erika, ......Bernkastel. ......Now it's time for my truth......"
"Request for a retrial accepted. ......The assembly of witches retracts the adjournment of the Court of Illusions!!"
"O, objection. The trial has already been concluded and the results have even been announced...!"
"Objection overruled...!! All verdicts are overshadowed by new truths!!"
"Objection!! Not only has Battler been banished as a player, he also doesn't hold the rank of witch...! He isn't qualified to call for an appeal...!"
"Objection overruled!! He already does have that. ......By the name of Lambdadelta, Witch of Certainty, I acknowledge it.........Ushiromiya Battler...! I acknowledge you as the new Golden Witch, ......no, .........as the new Endless Sorcerer, Ushiromiya Battler...!!!"
"......Wh, ...what did you say......? ......B, ......Battler got.........the rank of a witch......?!"
The rank of a witch, which she had desired for so long, had been granted to Battler so quickly.
And on top of that, this wasn't anything temporary.
......This was an official, proper authorization by Lambdadelta.

Erika couldn't accept it, and her face turned bright red...
".........Hmph, ......hehehehehhahaahahahahahahaaah!! Looks like that kid's game really will keep us entertained until the very end...! Sure, I'll play along...!"
"Erika, you handle this...! The red truth you've created with me is perfect...! The construction of truth which makes Natsuhi the culprit is perfect...! Battler certainly won't be able to break it!"
"O, of course, my master...!! There's no need to worry at all! Anyways, Siesta Sisters, my master ordered you to fire, right?! How long is it gonna take you to carry that order out?!"
"E, error code 999! A, an access code is required to target the territory lord...!"
".........Nyeh. I told you he'd do it nyeh."
"Territory lord...?! Who is?! Who controls this Fragment?! I do...!!"
".........Territory lord............You don't mean........., ......Battler is.........?"
"Yes. Ushiromiya Battler has been authorized as the official territory lord of this Fragment...!"
"Yes, that's right. ......So you still don't understand? You don't know what that gold sparkle signifies? .........He's reached it, ......Battler has. ......He's made his way to the innermost depths of all truths!!"
"....................."
"That means Battler's understood everything about this world, this tale, this game. ......In other words, he's reached the position of the game's master. ......*giggle*, I'll bet you don't want to believe it, right, Bern?!"
"......Heh, .........*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*!! Yeah, I don't want to believe it...!! Okay, I'll test Battler to see whether he really understands everything...!! Erika!"
"Too bad, Erika. .........Just when you were finally appointed as the territory lord of this Fragment, you've been deprived of that title."
"The new territory lord of this Fragment is Ushiromiya Battler. ......*giggle*, is it awful? Hey, hey, don't you feel just awful?! How's it feel to be deprived of that title just when you'd finally gotten it?! How's it feel?!"
"Ahh, ...waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhggh!! Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!! If you think you can disprove my theory, just try iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!! It's impossible,
impossible!! The theory I've created has no holes!! It's impossible to deny that Natsuhi is the culprit!!"
".........I can construct a theory with someone other than Natsuhi oba-san as the culprit. ......It may be that your truth is impossible to disprove. ......If so, that means your truth won't be able to deny my new truth either......!"

Battler spoke with the red truth allowed him by his status as a sorcerer.
"A, ......a culprit other than Natsuhi...?! ...H, ......hah!! How's that?!! Dlanor!! Let's see where this delusion of Battler-san's takes us...!!"
......Slowly, ......Dlanor stepped forwards.
In her hand......was the red long sword of the Decalogue.
She also had a blue short sword.

In Battler's hand......was a golden long sword.
......The two rivals once again.........No, for the first time......they truly confronted each other.
".........Battler, I've been WAITING."
"Sorry to keep you."
"You did NOT. Your return was sooner than I ANTICIPATED."
"Kill him, Dlanor A. Knoooooooooooxxxx!!!"
Dlanor's form disappeared in an instant.
As though her slow, dignified movements from before were only a lie...!
......The curve drawn by the long sword of red truth burned itself into the retinas of those who saw it.

Before anyone had enough time to follow that curve, ......it was already approaching Battler's chest...!
"Lady Erika's reasoning has solved the 5th GAME. No new facts exist which overturn the truth created by this reasoning...!!"
"It's possible to show a different truth by using a different interpretation!! When multiple truths exist in parallel, the authenticity of both is questioned!!"
In this closed off world, it's possible for differing truths to exist at the same time.
Furthermore, as long as multiple truths exist, it's impossible to claim that any of the truths are the single truth.

In other words, even if I can't overturn Erika's reasoning, by questioning its credibility.........and conquering it, I can defeat it...!
"Bern's reasoning is perfect. You won't be able to overturn it easily. ......But still. If you can present a theory on par with Bern's, the fight will come down to a verdict. That means it's possible that either one of the truths will be defeated and denied!"
".........This plot twist is truly laughable...!! I'd expect nothing less from a plot twist by a demon!!"
"Then let me ASK!! What is this theory with someone other than Natsuhi as the CULPRIT?!!"
Battler's golden long sword drew both red and blue curves at will.
"It's possible to construct it using the revenge of the baby from 19 years ago, which Natsuhi oba-san confessed about."
"Knox's 1st. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story! A person first introduced in the 5th game cannot be named as the CULPRIT...!!"
"What if the baby from 19 years ago was among us since the very beginning? For example, ......what if it was me?!"
"Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented! Was there ever any foreshadowing showing that you might be the baby from 19 years ago?!!"
"The red truth from the 4th game that I am not the son of my mother Asumu. The feeling that Dad was hiding something in both the first game and this game. In particular, in this game, it was made clear that there were some special circumstances having to do with my birth."
Battler proposed that he might be the baby from 19 years ago, ......and announced that he would reconstruct the crime with himself as the culprit.

As Dlanor cautiously held her sword at the ready, she gauged the distance between them...
Now that Battler had inherited the position of this world's territory lord and attained the rank of Endless Sorcerer, his movements surpassed human understanding.

By now, the physical distance between them probably counted for nothing.
Because their extremely agile battle was surpassing the point where the concept of distance made any difference.
"......A good START. Let us hear......your theory with Battler as the culprit...!"
"Yeah, I'll let you hear it. I'll prove that this explanation also works, ......and that you can't be certain Natsuhi oba-san is the culprit...!"
"<Good>!! If you're supposed to be the culprit, that creates several contradictions! I'll use those contradictions to reap your feeble truth! I, Furudo Erika, the detective and the Witch of Truth will...!!"
This time, Erika stepped forward.
......In her hand, there appeared a sickle like one a god of death might hold.
A ruthless sickle for reaping everything that threatened her theory...!
"It's only possible for the crime to have taken place between 24:00 and 1:00!! During that one hour, you were in the dining hall of the mansion!! Therefore, it was impossible for you to commit the crime!"
"It has not been specified that the time of death was between 24:00 and 1:00. Therefore, it's possible that the crime didn't occur between 24:00 and 1:00...!"
"There's a restriction on any murders in the cousins' room! From 1:00 AM until the discovery of the crime, it was impossible for the crime to occur in the cousins' room!! Dlanor, now!!!"
"Knox's 8th. If the crime actually was carried out in the cousins' room, clues must have been SHOWN. Because clues were not given to the detective, Lady Erika, who was on the watch for any abnormalities inside that room until morning, such a crime is IMPOSSIBLE...!!"
"By the time of the crime's discovery, you mean the point at which I let out a scream and everyone gathered there. Even if it was impossible to kill them before that point, it was possible to kill them afterwards...!!"
Battler used a blue flash to deflect both of the red truths that Erika and Dlanor had flung at him...!
Erika's eyes went wide.
After all, what he had said was completely absurd.

......At that time, ......they still hadn't been killed...?!Even though corpses with their necks sliced open were laying there?!
"The death of the four in the cousins' room has been proclaimed with the red text!! Are you trying to use the Illusion of the Witch?! Are you trying to resurrect George and the others using the concept of magic even though they were dead at the time?!"
"I see, since you believe they were dead by that point, it probably looks as though the dead have been brought back to life to you...! So this might look like magic in your eyes. .........In that case, I won't be the one to take the next shot at you!"
"Fool!! How often do I have to say it?!! The deaths of the four people in the cousins' room have been proclaimed with the red truth!! Furthermore, those corpses were witnessed by a large number of people!! Furthermore, it's already been proclaimed in red that an autopsy would not be mistaken for any of those corpses...!! Take that, dead people!!!"
"......When was that red truth made? Have you forgotten, Miss?"

The fierce shower of red was blocked by a magical barrier set up by Ronove, who suddenly appeared right in front of Battler.
Now that Beato was gone, the demons shouldn't have been able to manifest themselves in the real world...

However, ......he 'existed' here, ......and calmly dealt with Erika's attack.
"Y, ...you, ......Ronove!! H, how did you get here...?! Well, who cares, this all works out nicely. Now there's no need to go looking for you. I'll capture you here and deny your existence too!!"
".........I'll leave it to you. Teach her that you can't control everything with a single, arrogant truth."
"<Yes, your majesty>. .........Well then, ...allow me to be your opponent for a bit. What do you say, Miss?"
"In that case, when do you claim the red truth death proclamation happened?! Are you saying you can pinpoint that?! You can't pinpoint it, so you can't deny that the death proclamation was made at the time of the crime's discovery!!"
"When this court was opened, Lady Lambdadelta made a proclamation. She said this was a 24:00 answer session! ......The death proclamation was made at 24:00 on the second day, in other words, at the end of the game. That does not deny the possibility that the murder occurred after the morning of the second day, after the so-called 'discovery of the crime'...!"
"Then, you're saying......that the victims were alive at that time?! Even though their necks were sliced open?!"
"Did you see that yourself, Miss Detective...? It may be true that all corpses, no matter whose, would not lead to a mistaken autopsy, ......but it has never been said that there was a rule against something other than a corpse being called a corpse."

Erika swung her sickle recklessly, but Ronove blocked everything with elegant gestures made with the shield on one of his hands.
"S, ......so, at that point in time, no one was dead?! There weren't even wounds on their necks?! In that case, ...why did Battler scream?!"
"Better watch your feet, little girl. .........Ushiromiya Kinzo is already dead at the starting time for all games!"
"Huh?! Ah-"

A pitch black hole opened beneath Erika's feet and swallowed her up.
She could probably see through to the other side of the hole.

......It was the same thing you'd see if you looked down out of the skylight on the ceiling of this cathedral.
"Lia!!"
"Yes."
Virgilia could already be seen in midair inside the cathedral.

As Erika fell from the heavens, Virgilia was right below her and caught her on the end of a divine spear which sparkled blue!
"......Shouldn't you rethink your reasoning? Kinzo doesn't exist. Therefore, the way for the bodies to disappear in your theory is a failure."
"CORRECT. ......Unless someone other than Kinzo makes the corpses disappear, your theory FAILS."
"Geh, ......gah, .........gammiiiiiiit, this is nothing............graggh...gah.........!!"
Virgilia's blue divine spear skewered and pinned Erika in midair.

Erika struggled, filled with hatred, but she couldn't get it out easily.
Then, all around her, ......several small, fast things clanged off the walls and enveloped her.

Then seven people manifested themselves at once.
"We are the Seven Sisters of Purgatory...!! Know this, foe of our master!!"
"......You.........lowly paperweights.........!!"
"After George's death, his corpse was never moved!"
"After Jessica's death, her corpse was never moved!"
"After Maria's death, her corpse was never moved!"
"After Rosa's death, her corpse was never moved!"
"After Genji's death, his corpse was never moved!"
"After Krauss's death, his corpse was never moved!"
"Therefore, the corpses couldn't have vanished after being discovered!! Your theory about Kinzo carrying the corpses away fails!"
"AAAaaaaaaarrggghhhhhhhghhh...!!! But so what? Even without Kinzo, I can explain how......the corpses disa-......, ......nnngg, ......gaaaaaaaaaggghhh!! I, ...Furudo Erika, have to revise my theory......?! Nnnnnngggaaaaaaaaaarrrrggghh!! I do?! ...The detective does?!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrggghhhhh!!"
......Erika was probably capable of escaping this even with Kinzo's existence denied by making only a small revision to her theory.

However, ......to her, having to revise a theory she had already created............was extremely......humiliating!
"Looks like you toyed around with your plan too much in order to corner Natsuhi like that."
"You played around too much with your reasoning. ......At this point, your master isn't the only one who can speak of Kinzo's death with the red truth."
"This is what you get for playing around in the witches' darkness. ......Know that, Furudo Erika...!"
"Nngh, ......gggh, ggh.........!!"
Of course, even Erika had doubted Kinzo's existence from the beginning.

However, it had previously been impossible for anyone to deny his existence in that trial except for Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, who had sided with each other.

And because of the willful silence of those two, the truth about Kinzo had truly been unfixed.
And yet, to think that Battler......had become a witch......a sorcerer, and capable of using red without proof!!

However, she had her own Inquisitor of Heresy who could also use red without proof to counter!!

"D, Dlanoooooooooooorrrr!!!!"
"Knox's 2nd!! It is forbidden for supernatural agencies to be employed as a detective technique! If you would show that Kinzo has died with the red truth, then I demand that you display proof of a human's truth which could be used to make that point...!"
"......Forgive me, damn geezer."
"Overcome it, Battler. Don't let my corpse stop you...!!"
"Presentation of evidence. I'll present a corpse which could possibly be identified as Ushiromiya Kinzo's...!!"
"Can you prove that this corpse is Ushiromiya Kinzo's?! No matter how much it resembles him, unless you can prove that it is him, it is possible to claim that it was a substitute corpse from someone ELSE!! Can you show that it was Kinzo's corpse with the truth of HUMANS?! In this case alone, and with the red truth specifically, no counter-argument will be effective...!!"
"......Ooh. Any counter with the red truth will be ineffective? I guess that works."
"It may be true that the existence of third-party corpses has already been denied with the red. However, if saying that with the red is forbidden, ......*giggle*, Battler has nowhere to run to. Heheheheheheheheheh!"
"That's right...... In this closed-off Rokkenjima, there is no objective way to show that this corpse is Grandfather's."
"And that itself suggests the possibility that this corpse is a body double! This unidentifiable corpse cannot serve as proof of Kinzo's death...!!"
"......Checkmate...!! My theory does not waver!!"
Dlanor had sealed off the red truth as a means of proving that Kinzo's corpse had been shown.
......Even with the power of witches, Battler couldn't argue back......!
".........How are you gonna prove that the corpse was Kinzo's if the red truth is sealed? It's impossible. ...It can't be done...!"
"......With red or blue, ...right......?"
"I guarantee that this corpse is Ushiromiya Kinzo's corpse...!!"
Then, ...when Dlanor......met with Battler's golden flash, .........she was unable to fully block it with either her red long sword or her blue short sword, ...and she was blown backwards into empty space...!
It was a direct hit......without any miscalculation.

Though she had always seemed as firm as a small giant before now, she was finally blasted away and slammed against the wall as though she was the slender girl she appeared to be...!
"D, ......Dlanor?! Wh, what are you......"
"......A splendid golden TRUTH. .........EFFECTIVE."
"......G, ......golden truth......?!"
The golden long sword, which had been drawing red and blue trails before now, finally drew a curve which retained its divine golden color.
The truth it showed......was neither red nor blue.

......It was golden...truth...!!!
"Wh, what is that...? Lambda, does this follow the rules?!"
"..................Yes. ......Golden truth, effective. The gold truth.........can only be used by the territory lord of this world......no, ......only by the Game Master himself!!"
"Wh, ......what did you say............?"
"......Golden TRUTH. A divine truth woven in a different fashion than the red TRUTH. ......Its strength is on par with the red TRUTH. ......It may sometimes be INFERIOR. But it is sometimes SUPERIOR!!"
"That glitter......is proof that Battler-kun truly understands Beato."
".........I've shown it. Shown that the corpse is Grandfather's."
"YES. Golden truth, ......ACCEPTED. Unless Lady Erika's theory undergoes some revision, it will be DESTROYED...!"
"Wh, ......what the......ah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrgghhh!!!"
Erika cried out in pain.
......It wasn't the pain of her body being pierced.

It was the pain of her own theory being defiled...!
".........I see. ......It's like 'And then there were no Ackroyds'. ......Just when did this, ...........................*giggle*giggle*, ahhahahahaahahahahhaahahahahhahah!! What a crazy string of great works!!"
"Battler, it would be excessively unrefined to say any more. Even without saying another word, you've fully made your truth about the corpses' disappearance 'understood'! I see, 'that thing' you're thinking of doesn't conflict with any of the red in this trial so far! Your truth based around the revenge of the man from 19 years ago had been completely understood and processed!! I proclaim that your truth has now been established!!"
"Wha. What the...?! Why is that, great Lady Lambdadelta?!! He still hasn't explained everything...!! I still have many ways to argue back, ......like Hideyoshi's closed room, the seal on Natsuhi's personal room and the button in the closet!"
"......So. ......You still intend to argue back against Battler.........?"
"Ggah, ......gwwaagghgghggghhh.........!!!!"
Only Erika, the one who was supposedly so intelligent, couldn't understand.
......She couldn't understand that Battler had already found the real truth.
"Because of this, Grandfather's absence has been verified, and the dishonorable relationship between Natsuhi oba-san and Grandfather has been removed from consideration!!"
"Natsuhi oba-san is pure and faithful! I won't permit this vulgar tale you're all so fond of!!"
".........B, .........Battler-kun......!!"
"Furthermore. Because we have raised doubts about the time of death for all who have died so far, the alibis for everyone besides Natsuhi oba-san go back to square one...!!"
"If you try to argue that the crime was impossible for everyone except Natsuhi oba-san, it won't work!!"
Dlanor, who must have risen to her knees at some point, slowly stood up......
The flash from the golden long sword was still buried deep into her chest.

Though pain didn't show in her expression, her awkward movements clearly showed how serious the damage she had taken was.
Even though she herself knew that the match was long over by now...

Dlanor didn't abandon her duty...!
"However, in the cousins' room, you witnessed corpses which were impossible to MISIDENTIFY...! Are you trying to say that was a FALSEHOOD?! ...Knox's 7th, it is forbidden for the detective to be the CULPRIT!! The detective is obligated to have an objective point of VIEW. Your theory violates this OBLIGATION!!"
"Furudo Erika is the detective in this game, not me!! And by Knox's 9th, it is permitted for observers to let their own conclusions and interpretations be heard...!!"
"Knox's 8th, it is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED! Until now, you have been the DETECTIVE! Was it ever shown that you were not the detective this time, and that you were an observer with a subjective VIEWPOINT?!! Unless it was, you do not have the right to falsify your point of VIEW!!"
"In this game! When I figured out the device of the epitaph's riddle, I witnessed Grandfather. ......As has already been shown in red, Grandfather doesn't exist. It was impossible for me to witness him! Therefore, it has already been shown that my viewpoint wasn't objective!!"
"It is possible that it was just a sheet or something fluttering in the wind and rain which you mistook for Kinzo. It cannot be used as foreshadowing to form a basis for Knox's 9th...!! Mistaking things for something else is a right permitted to all observers!!"
"There's the red truth which Beato showed during the 4th game!! No person would mistake Ushiromiya Kinzo by sight!"
It's the red truth Beato used to counter my blue truth claim that 'someone disguised themselves as Kinzo' to make it seem as though Grandfather had appeared.
In other words, on this island, all illusions which might lead someone to mistake something for Grandfather, including someone else pretending to be Grandfather, 'most certainly cannot work'.
All of Natsuhi oba-san's schemes to make it seem that Grandfather existed were hidden in the relatives' blind spots, all of them clever tricks like 'he was here just a second ago' or 'he's in his study alone now'.

They never tried to make anyone mistake something they saw for Grandfather himself, so there are no contradictions.

If they had tried to dress one of the servants in Grandfather's robe..., it would probably have been seen through in an instant......
It has been guaranteed that none of the characters in this tale would 'mistake something for Grandfather by sight'...!

If someone still claims to have seen Grandfather, it becomes a 'falsehood'.
Allowing falsehoods to be contained within their observations is a right granted to everyone......except for just one person.

And that person is 'the detective'...!!
"Because of the right granted by Knox's 9th, people are allowed to mistake a sheet in the wind for anything else and tell about it. ......However! Mistaking it for Grandfather in particular is not permitted in this game due to the red truth!!"
"......So, once you claimed to have seen Kinzo, it was no longer misrecognition...but INTENTIONAL. ......In other words, this proves that the observer wasn't objective...is what you are SAYING......?"

In this case, unintentional 'misrecognition' it is not permitted by the rules of this game.
However, it is possible to intentionally 'lie about seeing' something you never saw...!!

And that is an action not permitted to a 'detective' burdened with the responsibility of an impartial perspective......
"Forgive my crazy argument... It's all finished now."
"No, it's ALRIGHT."

............If a man like you is in this WORLD.
You will surely protect the fragile truth from any kind of ARROGANCE.

You will surely protect the real truth from the tyranny of any plausible truth...that might claim to exist as the sole truth and try to exterminate all fragile TRUTHS...!!
Battler's golden long sword.........drew a massive blue arc as though splitting the heavens.
"I'm glad I could fight with YOU...!!"
"Therefore, my perspective in this game is based upon the 9th, not the 7th...!! The fact that I claimed to have seen Grandfather is proooooooooooofff!!!"
......The noise which rang out across the cathedral.........was the sound of Dlanor's long sword clattering to the floor.

Simply letting go of that was the same as resigning to the proud Dlanor.
Though the blue trail Battler had drawn was aiming right for the top of Dlanor's head, .........it stopped a hair's breadth away.........

If it hadn't, Dlanor would probably have been annihilated without leaving a single scrap of flesh behind.
".........I RESIGN. ......I give up on denying your TRUTH..."
"I've paid my debt. ......Let honor be to your father. ......The Decalogue was neither arrogant nor judgmental...!"
"H, ......honor to...my FATHER........."

Dlanor......sat down on the floor......and completely abandoned her will to fight.
"Wh, ......what are you doing, Dlanor?!! Lame, pathetic!! You stupid half-wit murder doll!! You've tainted the honor of your own father, shame on you!! You still call yourself mystery's wedges?! Will you surrender to magic?! The history of the mystery genre won't allow that!!"
".........You're the one......that doesn't understand what mystery is all about. ......If you see mystery as nothing more than a weapon with which to sneer at your opponent intellectually, ......I won't let you ever say so again!!"
"......B, .........Battleeeeeeeeee...eeer......!!!"
"I'll present a truth that conflicts with yours!! Natsuhi oba-san was threatened by a phone call over the internal line sent by the man from 19 years ago, me!"
"His goal was to make Natsuhi oba-san look like a murderer...!! From the beginning, this has all been a drama of revenge intent on framing Natsuhi oba-san...!!"
"Th, that's wrong, it's a drama of revenge against the Ushiromiya family that Natsuhi thought up!! Your theory outright opposes mine!!"
"......You still can't pull out the blue spear that's sticking through you, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. From Erika, I haven't heard of a single way for the corpses to disappear that doesn't involve Kinzo. Looks like your theory is about to be denied, doesn't it?!"
"Th, this spear is just............ugh, ......gaaaaahh......!! You paperweights......get out of my way.........!"
......The deeply piercing blue spear and the seven red stakes tormented her theory.

They won't come out.........
they won't come out.........!!
"............I acknowledge the mistake in Erika's reasoning and the need for revision."
"Wh, ......what the......, my master?!?!"
Watching Erika's face contort with pain as she struggled to escape from the spear, Bernkastel spoke this with a disgusted expression.
Faced with the facts, ...Bernkastel had acknowledged Erika's loss herself.

Erika gazed at her master, who was no longer confident about Erika's own victory, with a mixture of shock and despair...
"......I don't give a damn about your pride. How long do you intend to shame yourself like that? ......You, my double who's been granted the same blue hair as me, ......how long do you intend to hang there pierced through like that......? I guess I'll just have to descend myself......"
".........Looks like I didn't need a piece after all. Aah, what a pain, what a pain, what a total pain... I don't need a piece, I'll just throw it away, yeah, that disappointing, regretful, discouraging, hopeless let-down of a misfire...!! ......Do it quickly, filth!! Didn't I tell you to revise that pathetic theory of yours?!?!"
"Ooh, ......agh...hh..., ......y, yes, my master...!! I'll revise it...I'll revise my theory...!! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhh......!!"
As Erika's face twisted in humiliation and tears streamed from her eyes, she withdrew and revised her own theory in accordance with her master's order......
Mumbling quietly, she made various revisions with the blue truth, had them acknowledged by Lambdadelta, and finally had the blue spear smashed and was freed......

Though that blue truth did indeed explain how the corpses had disappeared, ......it couldn't conceal its desperation and was a bit of truly shabby reasoning.
".........My master...............I, ......I've taken it out............My theory.........is perfect......"
"Are you kidding me? It's horribly pathetic. .........But I'll forgive you. Because your face and your theory are so lame it's funny! *giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*!!!"
Erika was taunted by her master, who wore an ugly expression.
She thrashed about on the floor, crying bitter tears.

The wounded Dlanor stepped out before her, as though shielding her, and she spoke to Bernkastel, as well as Battler.
"......Regardless of how pathetic it might BE, ......Lady Erika's revised truth is EFFECTIVE."
"Yeah, that's right. Regardless of my truth, yours can exist at the same time. ......That's what this world is like. No one can disprove them, so even if there are various truths and even if they contradict each other wildly, they can exist at the same time. Here, as many truths exist as you can imagine. No one can just deny that all on their own...!"
"YES, that is TRUE. ......I won't let anyone deny Lady Erika's TRUTH."
"D, ......Dlanor........."
"As long as I'm here, I will protect that TRUTH. ......No matter how pathetic it is, I will not laugh at that TRUTH."
"Aah, ......waaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!"
......The words of Dlanor, whom Erika had previously looked down upon, led Erika to once again thrash about on the floor, sobbing.
"And. Because no unique truth exists, everything is covered in darkness. ......Therefore. While both my theory and Erika's theory are impossible to deny, neither is a unique truth. They are vague, and while neither can be denied, neither is certain...!!"
"Because there has been no decision, the Illusion of the Witch still exists. .........The only one who will be permitted to expose that is neither Erika nor the rest of you. ......It's me alone! I won't let anyone expose Beatrice's illusion except me!!!"
"The verdict is revised...!! Because of the truth presented by Ushiromiya Battler, Erika's truth is no longer unique! However, Erika's truth is impossible to disprove! Therefore, both of their truths exist together! The conclusion of the 5th game is rescinded!"
"The game goes back to being even!! And I transfer the position of Game Master from myself to the Golden Sorcerer, Ushiromiya Battler!!"
"Ushiromiya Battler, step forward!! I appoint you as the new Game Master!! Will you accept? You will, right?! Do it, you new Endless Witch!!!"
"Yeah!! I'm the new Game Master!! I'll weave the 6th game...!!"
"Erika, let's settle things for good this time!! Stand up!!"
"......Y, ......yes, ......I will stand............I'll make you regret......giving me a chance to clear away this shame......!!! My master, please give me an opportunity to fight with Battler again in the 6th game!!"
".........Sure. Of course I'll give you a chance."
"Wow, incredible. She said 'I'll give you a chance'. Isn't this a miracle? The Witch of Miracles, Bernkastel."
".........Erika. You've miraculously managed to escape with your life. ......In the 6th game, ...Battler's game, .........expose the truth no matter what... Unless you want to be tossed aside into the darkness of oblivion!!"
"Y, yes, my master...!!! .........Dl, ......Dlanor..."
"Of COURSE. I will give it my all in the next game as WELL."
"Heh, ......heheheheheheh!! I won't pretend to be a guest any longer. ......Together with Dlanor, I'll tear your game to bits!!"
"Sure. I'll invite you to my 6th game...!! Sorry, but that title of yours...<Checkmate of the>..., isn't cutting it."
"It's your game. You can decide the name yourself! Just bring it on...!! I, Furudo Erika, ............am a detective before I am a witch!! I acknowledge you as the new master of this game, ......and I issue a proclamation of war!! I'll definitely......definitely expose it all!! I'll kill you!! Golden Sorcerer, Ushiromiya Battler!!!"
"Yeah, come at me with all you've got!! Furudo Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Just watch, Beato. ......I'll take charge of your game!!

And in this next game, I'll prove that I completely understand all of your riddles...!!

Notes!
- She knew she lost the 5th game already but she didn't know the specifics!
- Fighting with her scythe!
- Golden truth!
- Battler's the culprit?? that's stupid
- She's a detective before she's a witch.
- Hates Battler a lot but is also looking forward to crushing his next challenge :|a