Leon Cosmodeous wandered through the castle alone, though not without purpose.
First, he returned to the location where Aurora had been "killed."
It was just outside a task room. He and his two daughters had completed a group task, and before they could even celebrate, Aurora had been eliminated.
Now, a chalk outline marked the floor where she had fallen.
In the center of the outline was written: Friend B.
Leon stood over the "crime scene," silently tallying the remaining players.
"Noah, Muwen, and Senior Claudia should all be aligned with the good side. The only two left whose roles are uncertain are Rossweisse and my sister-in-law, Isha."
"One of them has to be the other lone wolf."
He continued thinking, evaluating the evidence. Rossweisse had spent most of the game paired with him, and he was familiar with almost all the items she'd collected. Still, they hadn't been together the entire time. Could she have used those breaks to pull off the mysterious "long-range" kills?
Then there was Isha...
She had no clue cards linked to her. That, in itself, was deeply suspicious.
"Has she used something to obscure her identity? Or have we simply overlooked the clues?"
Noah had been right—the suspect pool had narrowed. The difference between wandering blindly and hunting precisely had shifted the tempo of the game.
Leon's thoughts circled around the so-called "long-range killer."
It wasn't just a theory—it was a gut instinct. The kind of hunch honed from decades of hunting dragons.
But without proof, he had kept it to himself.
As he walked, he came upon another marked site.
Another chalk outline.
Guard
"Helena's 'body,'" Leon murmured, stepping closer.
He completed a solo task on the way, earning an unexpectedly useful reward: a new [Detective] card, which allowed the user to check whether a player had killed anyone in the past six hours.
Their previous [Detective] card had cleared his own name. With fewer players left, this new one could tip the balance.
Leon pocketed the card and continued exploring the castle.
About ten minutes later, he spotted a staff member crouched down ahead, drawing on the floor.
Frowning, Leon approached quickly.
The staffer left just as he arrived.
Leon's eyes trailed the staffer momentarily before turning to the fresh chalk marking.
And then—he froze.
It was a smaller outline than the others.
At its center:
Friend A
Muwen... had been killed.
Shock and disbelief struck him.
When? How?!
A cold dread spread through him. This fun little family game was morphing into psychological horror.
Leon crouched and gently traced the outline labeled Friend A.
A bittersweet smile touched his lips.
"Little Muwen... you didn't even get a chance to eat Daddy's offerings this time, huh?"
He clapped his hands together once, his gaze sharpening with new resolve.
Even in a game, never underestimate a father's fury.
---
In the communal kitchen, Rossweisse had just finished baking a small cake, holding it in her hands.
"Hope this helps somehow."
"Helps with what?"
The voice from the doorway was familiar.
By now, the queen was used to sudden appearances and didn't flinch.
Turning around, she found Leon leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.
"What are you doing here?" Rossweisse asked.
"Muwen was killed."
She froze.
In this immersive game with its layered roles, emotions often blurred the lines between fantasy and reality.
Though [Friends Group] wasn't linked directly to her [Royal Chef] role, both Muwen and Aurora were her real-life daughters.
Both were now gone.
She didn't speak, but her expression said enough.
"Do you know who did it?" she asked softly.
"No."
"Why wasn't Noah with Muwen? Why didn't you call an [Emergency Meeting]?"
Leon closed his eyes, took a long breath, and pulled out the [Detective] card.
"Before I answer that... can I use this on you?"
Rossweisse shrugged. "Go ahead."
Leon activated the [Detective] card.
Result:
"Player [Royal Chef] has not killed any players in the past six hours."
Rossweisse exhaled in relief. "You just wasted a valuable card."
Leon shook his head. "No, I didn't. I finally understand how these 'long-range' kills work."
Rossweisse tilted her head. "Explain."
"It's not distance—it's timing. Think about it: Aurora, Helena, and Muwen—all were killed shortly after a meeting ended."
Rossweisse's eyes narrowed in realization.
"A delayed kill mechanism…"
"Exactly. Someone's using an item or trigger that kills a player after a meeting ends."
"It creates the illusion of a sniper-like killer, keeps their identity hidden, and causes chaos."
Rossweisse considered this. "But such a card would break the game balance."
"I suspect... it's more than just an item. It may be tied to something big—like a Fate event."
They both spoke in unison:
"Fate of All Players."
"The only Fate trigger so far is the Alchemy Lab event," Rossweisse said.
Leon nodded. "After the outbreak there, we all headed to—"
Footsteps interrupted them.
They turned toward the doorway.
A swish of blue hair came into view.
Claudia.
"Well, well. Holding secret meetings in the kitchen now?" she teased.
Leon smirked. "Senior, did you find any—"
His words stopped as a uniformed staff member entered behind Claudia.
They gently took her by the arm.
Claudia gave a tired smile. "As you can see, Leon, I'm being escorted to the Divine Observation Room."
Leon and Rossweisse both tensed.
Another good player was gone.
"Because your role and motive were exposed, you were targeted?" Leon asked.
"I suppose so," Claudia replied lightly.
"Was it another long-range kill?"
Claudia gave a mysterious smile but didn't answer.
"Miss Claudia, please refrain from speaking too much as a 'deceased player,'" the staff warned.
"Understood."
She turned to the couple. "It's up to you two now. Win this, okay?"
She winked and left.
As her footsteps faded, Leon and Rossweisse stared at one another, grim.
"Should we go for a direct kill on my sister?" Rossweisse asked.
"I don't have a kill card. Do you?"
Rossweisse glanced at the cake. "This one's different from the one you had earlier. If someone eats this... they're eliminated."
Leon gave her a deadpan look. "Your sister isn't stupid enough to eat a suspicious cake."
"Exactly. So our only real option is to find Muwen or Claudia's body and call an [Emergency Meeting] before she strikes again."
They moved fast.
But after sweeping the castle twice, the chalk outlines were gone.
Not even Muwen's remained.
"What's going on?! Muwen's body was right here!" Leon pointed.
"Maybe you remembered it wrong," Rossweisse offered.
From the end of the hallway came a sultry voice.
"You're looking for little Muwen's outline?"
Isha stood poised, holding a card in her hand.
"[Cleanup Card]," she said. "It erases the body after a kill."
"This way, you can't call an emergency meeting until the scheduled time."
"How long until the next one?"
She answered herself with a smile, "One hour."
Clack—
Her heels echoed through the corridor as she took a step forward.
"To make things more exciting, I have three kill item cards left."
"Three of you remain. That's one for each."
Leon took a slow step back, gripping Rossweisse's hand.
"Planning to run?" Isha asked. "Before you do, let me share something."
She smirked.
"Your loving husband here... he's the second lone wolf."
Rossweisse's eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"
"A clue card from the beginning: 'Only One.' Rearranged, it spells 'Ly-on'... Leon."
Rossweisse froze.
"You used player names to solve it?" she asked.
"Exactly," Isha replied. "That's part of the game."
Leon sighed. "So you figured it out from the start."
"I waited to see how you two would fare."
She gave them a pitying smile.
"But you've disappointed me."
She raised a glowing red card. "Time to finish this."
"I'll deal with you two first—then, my precious little niece."
"Run! Rossweisse, RUN!"
Leon pulled her with him as they sprinted away.
Watching them go, Isha didn't even flinch.
"No rush," she whispered. "I'll go deal with the [Princess] first."