Shirou and the Impostor Conductor / Shirou and Lord Luvia ...

"Yes, I understand. Sometimes the smarter a person is, the more prone they are to getting stuck on a single point. Even a shrewd young person like you can make mistakes. I just didn't expect the old guy next door to be that Darnic."

Having finished asking his questions, Shirou saw Old Boss Li out the door.

Chapter 1234 Shirou and the Fake Train Conductor

Back in his room, Mr. Frederick held the armband left by Old Boss Li.

"This armband is really puzzling. Does it mean that Hartless is also involved in this case?" he said. He paused for a moment, and seeing that Shirou didn't answer, he continued, "Friend, what's your opinion?"

"This armband suggests that several possibilities exist," Shirou pondered. "Before discussing the existing evidence, let's speak with the priest."

He flipped through the information he had registered in his notebook.

"Ah, here I am! Jane Tulio."

Mr. Frederick sent a waiter from the dining car. Soon, a goat-faced, fifty- or sixty-year-old Swedish man arrived; he had the serene face of a clergyman.

Clearly, he could understand and speak English. This conversation could proceed in English. Shirou asked him a few questions, the answers of which he already knew: his name, age, and address. Then he asked about his occupation.

He is a pastor at a church school near Istanbul, and he rarely goes out. This time he is on annual leave, visiting his family.

"Father, you must know about the case that happened last night, right?"

"Of course. It's terrifying. That old Chinese gentleman told me that the murderer did indeed stay in his room. It's very likely that a vampire did it; only a vampire could run a car in this kind of blizzard. It's just so evil!"

"Putting aside the murderer, I heard that the victim had an argument with you last night, is that right?"

"Well, that was just a misunderstanding. You know, Magecraft are all unfaithful and stubborn guys. They refuse to believe in anything but themselves, which is pathetic. Uh... sorry, at least you seem like good people, if you're willing to listen to God..."

"Okay, I believe you're not the murderer, at least not the kind you'd kill someone over a little argument, right?"

Shirou interrupted his preaching and asked a question.

"Of course! I'm not a combat member of the Church of the Holy See, just an ordinary member, so I don't have that kind of formidable combat ability. Besides, if I'm not Dead Apostle, the Church of the Holy See isn't entirely unapproachable. In fact, I don't even have Black Keys; I prefer to influence them with words."

The clergyman, who was passionate about missionary work, said he was indeed mocked, but he wasn't angry. He felt sorry for the deceased and was worried about vampires, hoping to leave such an evil place as soon as possible.

Shirou asked, "Have you ever seen a blood-red cloak?"

The missionary shook his head. "I only have one set of clothes, which you can see is a plain black outfit."

The Holy Shroud is red, Shirou once received it from a woman associated with a Church of the Holy See that liked curry, but the old man said he wasn't a combatant.

Shirou calmly wrote down the record.

When did you return to your room?

"I go to bed at 10:50 p. m., that's the time I go to sleep every day."

"You fell asleep very quickly?"

"Yes, before falling asleep, I silently recite the Bible in my mind, and after a while I fall asleep."

Did the train stop before you got into bed?

"I think not. I believe the bus stopped at some station for a while while I was still half asleep."

"Probably Romania? This is your private room, Father?" he asked, pointing to the map.

"Yes, this is it, sir."

"Do you remember Lecturer Kenseth, the former Lord of El-Melloi?"

"Of course! He was a rare genius in modern times, and reaching the Grand Class was only a matter of time. It's such a pity. What happened?"

Shirou then told the priest the true identity of the deceased and gave an explanation.

"It was this villain who stirred up the chaos! It's unbelievable, and how pitiful were the families and children of those who died! It's truly heartbreaking to think about them."

"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, Father." Shirou saw the priest off, then wrote a few more lines on the paper.

"What are you writing, my friend?" Mr. Frederick asked.

"Things are a bit too complicated, and I prefer to handle things cleanly and efficiently so that everything is organized. It's like when repairing something; I'll first take all the parts apart, carefully inspect them, and then put them back together. Many times, the problem is easily solved. So, the same applies to solving cases; this is a timeline of a case's progress."

After he finished writing, he handed it to Mr. Frederick.

9:15 AM: The train departs Romania.

Around 9:40: The British male servant prepared sleeping pills for Old John and then left.

Around 10:00 AM: The German youth's secretary Caules, left Old John.

Around 10:40: The priest was the last to see Old John alive.

12:10 AM: The train departed from the Romania border station, but was delayed due to a blizzard.

At 12:30 AM: The train stopped deploying its protective barrier, and the ancient road became impassable due to the rampaging Snow Spirit.

At 12:37: The bell rang in Old John's room, and the train conductor answered and left. Old John said in Romania, "It's nothing, I made a mistake."

At approximately 1:17: Old Boss Li Chinese man, noticed someone in the room and rang the bell to call the train conductor.

Mr. Frederick looked at the record on the paper and nodded approvingly, saying:

"Writing it this way makes the sequence of events crystal clear."

"Is there anything above that puzzles you?"

"No. It's crystal clear, crystal clear. The case happened at 1:15, that's crystal clear. The time on the gold watch is the evidence, and it matches what Old Boss Li said. In my opinion, let me deduce the characteristics of the murderer. Young man, listen to me."

"Black leather jacket, sunglasses, unkempt face—yes, it's that shameless Japanese guy selling Magecraft props! Daxiong Shishido!" Mr. Frederick pointed to the name in his notebook.

"Hmm, that makes sense," Shirou continued, using a perfunctory tone to match Frederick's reasoning.

This is probably what Kogoro Mouri looks like when he makes a deduction.

"Without a doubt, this is the truth. A guy who makes Magecraft props and sells Magecraft as a commodity is undoubtedly a despicable 'Magus.' Clearly, he's in cahoots with Darnic."

Darnic was holding events for his own ambitions. Later, Darnic betrayed him. So the Shishido began sending him threatening letters, and finally, through this cruel means, he completed his revenge. It's extremely simple and clear. That's the kind of guy Magus is!

Shirou shook his head in disagreement and said softly:

"It's probably not that simple."

Chapter 1235 Shirou and Rin Lord

"I still believe the culprit is that Japanese man! I have no doubt about it," Mr. Frederick said, increasingly pleased with his own deduction.

"The train conductor already said that this Japanese man hasn't left his room. His seat is right next to that door, so he definitely knows whether he's left or not."

"Oh...that's really hard to explain." Mr. Frederick was somewhat speechless, but he still wanted to persist.

Shirou blinked.

"Indeed, this matter is truly bizarre. Everyone who seems suspicious has an alibi, and the physical evidence we have points to someone who seems impossible. The English valet also said that the Italian man never left the house."

"The future will tell," Mr. Frederick said confidently.

Shirou shook his head.

"No, things are complicated!" he muttered.

"Let's hear what the train conductor Hartless, has to say about the armband," Shirou said.

The blond train conductor was brought in once again. He looked them over questioningly.

Mr. Frederick cleared his throat.

"Hartless," he said, "Here's an armband from your uniform, which we found in Chinese old man's room. Do you have anything to say about it?"

The train conductor paused for a moment, then reached out and touched his uniform, which also had an armband pinned to it—his proof of being a train conductor.

"Sir, I haven't lost my armband," he asked doubtfully. "Is there some mistake?"

That's strange.

"Sir, what exactly happened?" Hartless looked puzzled, but there was no sign of panic or guilt.

Mr. Frederick said meaningfully:

"Judging from the scene where this armband was found, it could only have fallen off last night when Old Boss Li rang the bell to call you in."

"But sir, there's no one there. It's all just the old man's imagination."

"Hartless, he wasn't lying. The murderer who killed Old John left via this road, and he even dropped this armband."

Once Mr. Frederick's words were made clear, Hartless finally understood that he was being suspected.

Hartless then revealed an extremely uneasy expression, and he hurriedly offered his explanation:

"That's not it! Do you think I'm a criminal? I'm innocent! I'm completely innocent. Why would I kill a complete stranger?"

Where were you when Old Boss Li rang the bell?

"I already said, sir, you're chatting with my colleague in another carriage."

We will find them.

"Go, sir, please ask them."

The train conductor of the Greek carriage was called in, and he immediately confirmed Hartless's statement, adding that there was another conductor from another carriage who was also there.

The three of them were discussing the possible consequences of the Snow Spirit's rampage, wondering how long they would have to spend here.

They chatted for ten minutes, then Hartless heard the bell and opened the door between the carriages. They could clearly hear the bell ringing repeatedly, and Hartless immediately ran back.

"Sir, you see, I am innocent," Hartless cried anxiously.

"But the armband was found in Old Boss Li's room. Can you explain how that happened?"

"I don't know, sir. This has nothing to do with me; I've always had my armband on!"

The other two train attendants' armbands hadn't fallen off either, and they had never been to Old Boss Li's compartment.

"Calm down, Hartless," Shirou said. "Think carefully back to when you heard Old Boss Li's bell ring and ran there. Did you encounter anyone in the corridor?"

"No, sir."

"Did anyone run in the opposite direction?"

"No, sir."

"That's strange," said Mr. Frederick.

"It's not that strange," Shirou said. "It's just a matter of time. When Old Boss Li wakes up and finds someone in the room, he's lying there motionless with his eyes closed. It takes time for him to start over with his random thoughts."

In that time, the man could slip into the aisle, and then Old Boss Li would press the bell again. The train conductor happened to be in another carriage and didn't return immediately, so the bell was pressed more than ten times before it was heard. That was enough time for the prisoner to escape."

"Wait a minute! This is too strange. Shirou, don't forget, the train has a protective barrier. Where could the prisoner possibly escape to?"

"This mysterious killer has two paths to choose from," Shirou said, emphasizing each word. "He can retreat to the restroom, or he can hide in a private room."

"But all the private rooms are occupied," Mr. Frederick retorted.

"You're absolutely right!" Shirou agreed.

"Wait... wait... you mean... the prisoner went back to his cell?"

Shirou nodded.

"That makes sense! That explains it," Mr. Frederick said excitedly.

"During the ten minutes the train conductor was away, the murderer left his own room, entered Old John's room, killed him, locked the door from the inside, chained himself up, and escaped through Old Boss Li's compartment. He was safely back in his own compartment just as the conductor was about to enter."

Shirou said in a low voice, "Sir, things aren't that simple. Professor Waver can testify to that."

Waver lay there like a dead fish, waving his hand to indicate not to get involved.

Mr. Frederick gestured, indicating that the three train conductors could leave.

"There are eight more passengers to meet," Shirou said. "Five are Lady Rin El- Lord El-Melloi Olga Marie and her governess Teresa Fellowes, the US Colonel, and Mr. Daxiong Shishido; the other three are in double berths, Miss Isola from England, Antonio the red-haired Italian, and Lady Aria, Lady Alya -Lord El-Melloi's maid."

"So, who should we meet first? That Japanese man?"

"Look at you, still thinking about that person! Let's start picking fruit from the treetops. Perhaps Miss Lord Dai would be willing to take some time to talk to us. Hartless, invite her over."

"Yes, sir." The train conductor turned and left.

"Tell the Lord that we can talk in her room if she feels uncomfortable coming here," Mr. Frederick then added.

However, Lord Rin El- Lord El-Melloi was happy to come over. She entered, her long, pale golden hair flowing in the air, creating a fragrant breeze. She tilted her head slightly and gracefully sat down opposite Shirou.

No one would deny that she was a beautiful and refined lady, even though she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, no one would dare to underestimate her.

Chapter 1236 Shirou and Kaineth's Successor

Shirou went through the girl's information in his mind: