Furina's eyes widened in shock. Her face froze, and she instinctively raised both hands to cover her mouth, as if that could contain the fear and disbelief threatening to spill out.
Beside her, Shajin's lips curved into a subtle, enigmatic smile. A strange gleam flickered in his eyes—as if he had foreseen all of this.
"So it's begun… the gears of fate are turning ahead of schedule~"
Just then, a visibly agitated audience member jumped up from his seat and shouted:
"Mr. Lyney! Is this part of the show too?! You're going to cast some incredible magic and fix the stage back to normal, right?!"
His voice rang through the opera house like a stone dropped into still water—sudden and jarring in the silence.
But Lyney's face said otherwise. His expression was pale, dazed, and completely lost. His lips trembled as he stared blankly at the chaos before him. No part of him looked like he was acting.
Watching closely from the sidelines, Neuvillette stepped forward and gave his command without hesitation.
"The performance is suspended immediately! Medical staff, follow me. Security, move out—secure the scene and detain all performers. Lock down every exit in the opera house. No one is to leave or enter without permission!"
With Neuvillette's decisive order, the trained security force sprang into action. Within moments, the opera house was locked down tight.
Tension gripped the air. Panic began to ripple through the crowd.
"Wait—was there really someone under that box?!"
A scream broke out from another frightened audience member.
"This… this is definitely a major performance accident!"
"No—wasn't there a girl in that box just now? Why is it a stagehand's mask instead?!"
Furina clapped loudly onstage.
"Indeed! If this was an accident, we must uncover the cause. And if it wasn't—then it won't escape the judgment of the God of Justice!"
…
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the security team and a swift investigation, the preliminary findings were soon confirmed.
The person Inside the magic box had indeed perished.
His name was Cowell, a stagehand in Lyney's magic troupe.
Further inspection revealed that the dazzling fireworks during the performance had inadvertently ignited the rope suspending the water tank. The tank lost its support and crashed down.
But the most puzzling part was this: the one who should've been inside the box was the randomly chosen female audience member. Somehow, it was Cowell instead.
As for how that switch occurred—it remained a complete mystery.
Even stranger, during the extended search afterward, the girl in question had completely vanished, as if into thin air.
Faced with such a baffling situation, it became clear that this was no ordinary stage accident.
What's more, several elements of the case eerily mirrored the characteristics of the recent serial disappearance of young girls.
…
At that moment, Shajin was stroking his chin in thought when he suddenly heard someone laughing.
He turned, confused, to find Furina laughing openly and unabashedly. Her giggles grew louder by the second.
Shajin frowned. What is she scheming this time?
"Hehehe… hahahaha!"
Furina pointed at Lyney and declared:
"I've figured it out! This kind of mystery, so shallow it practically screams its own answer—did you really think it worthy of a grand finale?"
Shajin winced. He had a feeling what she was about to do and tried to stop her—but it was too late.
"This master illusionist, the so-called omnipotent magician Lyney—isn't he the true culprit behind the serial disappearances of young girls?"
Lyney: "???"
He immediately tried to defend himself.
"Why me?! This was just an accident!"
Furina, however, responded with confidence:
"The incident happened during your show. A girl was randomly selected—and vanished. The one who died? A member of your troupe."
"Looking back now, your opening line about 'something from nothing, and nothing from something' almost feels like a taunt~"
"Let's set that aside for a moment, Miss Furina," Neuvillette interjected calmly. "May I take your earlier remarks as a formal accusation against Mr. Lyney and his associates?"
"Eh?"
Furina blinked. Then she quickly waved her hands.
"No no no… I just thought he…"
"Isn't it a bit premature to call it an 'accusation'?"
…
Whispers spread through the audience.
"Lady Furina's deduction made perfect sense. Looks like she's stepping in to uphold justice personally!"
"She saw right through the illusion! A kidnapping and murder hidden beneath a magic trick—unbelievable!"
"She's amazing!"
…
Furina's ahoge wobbled slightly as she cleared her throat.
"Ahem… What I meant was—friends, while that obvious truth is certainly tempting, it's the opponent standing before us now who truly excites me!"
Neuvillette nodded in agreement. He spoke calmly, but with authority.
"I understand. Since an accusation has been made, then by rule, a trial must be held to determine guilt or innocence."
He raised his voice to address the room.
"This trial will take place tomorrow, here in the opera house. Both parties will have the freedom to investigate until then—do everything possible to uncover the truth."
Then he turned to Lyney and his troupe, his tone sharpening.
"As persons of interest, Mr. Lyney and all associated performers are to remain within the opera house. No unauthorized departures will be tolerated."
Turning to the rest of the audience, he softened his voice slightly.
"All other guests may leave in an orderly fashion, once their identities have been verified by security."
Furina let out a small laugh.
"Hehehe… It begins~ A single day passes in the blink of an eye."
"Let's see how brilliant your performance can be, now that the curtain has fallen. I, for one, am thrilled to see how this unfolds~"
_
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