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The Murderer’s Statement (With Their Thoughts) – Part 02

Quit joking. I didn’t hear anything. Shit. They heard? The equipment wasn’t working, and I didn’t touch anything. I have to fool them. My head was pounding, and I felt so distressed, sad, and heartbroken that I felt like a different person. I felt suffocated in the small room, and as soon as I stumbled out, I ran into you guys. Yes, these two kids right here. They had just changed into the servers’ uniform and were on their way back.

And then… Let’s see…

I was so sick, my memory’s a little fuzzy. I think I returned to the compartment, but then I went to the dining car with the Dead. I was feeling uneasy because the Orphan was crying and yelling about enemies or something. She said she was going to get killed, and I thought, I gotta stay away from her. Then she actually ended up getting killed. Maybe she was telling the truth about the whole enemy thing? If so, I should have listened to her instead of finding her annoying. It’s too late for regrets, though.

While we were in the dining car, this oriental boy, the Vassal, the Empress, and the Orphan arrived. The Vassal was concerned about the Gray Wolf left in the compartment and wanted to leave, but he was forced to say. The Dead and I had been drinking wine, so I prepared glasses for the other three. The train is under the control of the Ministry of the Occult. I had prepared the glasses in advance in the dining car. The waiters were too busy, and I didn’t want to cause too much trouble by calling one. I placed the tampered glass in front of the girl. To avoid suspicion, I carried the glasses upside down to let her know that it was empty. What she didn’t know was that there was something at the bottom of the glass. The Empress drank wine too, while the other two had water, and while we were talking, the Orphan suggested a game called Pick a Raisin. The Orphan took a sip of water from the tampered glass. But it didn’t seem like she had ingested the poison just yet. She wasn’t in pain. I just had to wait a bit.

Who brought the bowl of raisins?

…

……

It was me.

You must think I’m suspicious. Ah, my knees are shaking. But you’re wrong. Besides, how would I know which raisin she would pick? What? Who brought the brandy? The Dead. But if the brandy had been poisoned, we would have all died.

Whose turn it was to pick a raisin was decided by spinning an empty bottle. I think it was the Empress who spun it. The bottle pointed to me, so I had to eat first. It was just pure coincidence.

What? She could’ve controlled the bottle?

I don’t know.

But I don’t think she did.

The Empress is not that kind of person.

Well, yes, of course. I’ve never met her before, but I’m sure she’s a nice person.

Anyway, I ate the raisin and made a wish. Next was the Empress. She was very eager to tell us about how she had escaped from her country despite being an empress. Her identity was supposed to be made-up. She said that if she continued her journey, she would eventually miss her kingdom. She also mentioned that during the winter the sea turns white and the sky is filled with seawater. And that her subjects are waiting for her.

I have a good memory?

Well, yeah.

I was curious about what she said. What did she mean by the sky filled with seawater? I get that it’s a seaside country, but the sky can’t possibly be filled with seawater. It’s the sky, not the sea.

No, that’s all.

Next it was the Dead who picked up a raisin. Did he make some strange gesture? No, I don’t think so.

I didn’t really notice anything in particular. I wasn’t paying close attention. I remember him sticking his hand into the flame, taking a handful of raisins, and then burning his mouth. The Empress said he only had to get one.

And then it was the Orphan’s turn.

Nothing seemed off. She didn’t do any weird gestures. She put her hand in the bowl, picked up a random raisin, and put it in her mouth. And then she started groaning in pain. All right. She drank some water again. She ingested the poison!

It was chaos after that.

She said her raisin was poisoned and then ran out of the dining car. The Vassal said she had a gun, much to my horror, and then we heard a gunshot from behind the closed door. With the lock broken, the door couldn’t be opened. Then we heard a couple of gunshots coming from the driver’s cab, and the train started going out of control. It was a nightmare. Memories of the accident when I was a kid had me shaking. Then the Vassal suddenly climbed out of the window onto the roof to get to the driver’s cab. The situation was similar to when my parents died, so I tried my best to stop him. But he ended up kicking me off and going up to the roof.

I don’t really know what happened after that.

I was just panicking. I can’t remember.

I think someone, a woman, was laughing. Who was it? I don’t know, maybe the Empress? But how in the world could she laugh in that situation? The Dead was petrified. I think he was mumbling something. This is bad, is what he said, I believe.

“This is bad. An incident like this will draw people.”

Something like that.

What did he mean by that?

I have absolutely no clue.

I didn’t ask. I was too scared. I thought I would just black out.

I never had a chance to wash the glass. I’m sure it would be brought to question.

I called my sister’s name. And then I had an idea. I secretly swapped the poisoned glass with one from a table a little farther away. I believed the only table that the police would examine was where the incident took place. I thought, “I don’t want to die in a train accident, too.”

I didn’t want to leave her alone. I can’t leave my frail sister alone in this fickle world.

A gunshot sounded in the distance. I closed my eyes and prayed. I prayed that I would make it back to Saubreme safely. That I would get my sister back.

One shot.

Two shots.

And then… another shot.

I prayed. I was praying while crying. That I would get her back. I think the woman was still laughing then. I don’t know who it was, though. Please, give her back.

Give my sister back to me.

Eventually, the train stopped.

It seemed unreal.

I couldn’t really believe it at first. I thought the train had already crashed and was on fire. I thought I was dead, dreaming about being safe. I thought I was already in the underworld. I shivered like a little girl at the terrifying thought.

I climbed out of the same window that the Vassal used.

And then to my surprise, it was morning.

The pale morning sun was rising from the eastern sky, shining on my face. The train was stopped halfway up a hill. I could see the tracks below. We’re safe, I thought. Then I doubted it again. I ran. I must get the memento box! When I made it into the driver’s cab, I saw the Gray Wolf and her vassal. The Vassal was holding a gun.

I thought he looked way braver than me. He was younger, and he was from the Orient. I was a little ashamed of myself for thinking that he belonged to an inferior race. I felt a sense of friendship and camaraderie with a boy I had just met by chance and would probably never see again. As for the Gray Wolf, she was sitting on the floor. I saw the Orphan lying there. My sister was about the same age as her and had the same dark hair. It was as if my sister died for the train to stop. It was just a momentary impression, though. In that moment, the Gray Wolf whispered something to the dying, convulsing Orphan.

What did you say to her?

Keeping it to yourself, I see.

I heard a bit of what you said. I think you whispered the word “fake”. Something something is fake. Did I hear it wrong?

Still not talking. Oh, well.

After that, I reached for the Orphan and closed her eyes. I… killed her. I was surprised to see the serene look on her face. I killed her. I expected it to be contorted with regret. I killed her!

I secretly searched for the red box in the girl’s luggage. The Gray Wolf was nearby, but she was completely oblivious to what I was doing. I quickly removed the contents of the memento box and put them in my suitcase—a perfume bottle, umbilical cord, a portrait. It felt like I had killed my sister. It was a nightmare. I had killed a complete stranger to save my sister. I was sure I was going to hell. Suddenly I felt horrified.

Outside the train, the Empress screamed. When we got out, we saw the Dead running and trying to escape. The Vassal was shocked, but not me, considering what he mumbled earlier. “This is bad. An incident like this will draw people.”

I realized then that the Dead was hiding something.

So I ran along the tracks with Kujou to catch the fleeing man.

As I ran, tears formed in my eyes and drifted in the wind. I was so terrified of the girl’s peaceful expression. Why are we killing each other? Why are we following orders from adults and killing strangers for the sake of our loved ones? We’re told to fight for our families, for our country, and take each other’s lives. That girl—the Orphan—was also a spy, just like me, working under orders from adults. It was like she and I were mirror images of each other, friend and foe. I was the girl’s reflection in a dirty mirror. I killed a girl who was just like me, killed her with my own hands. We are children of the same country, Sauville. But this kind of thing is happening all over the world. The Great War is not over yet. It’s been barely six years since the war ended. Six years is not enough time to put it all behind us. A mad Sodom that changed our lives forever. A great storm… It’s not over yet. We’re still bleeding in this country!

What?

I was restless the whole time I was talking?

I was looking at the door repeatedly as if waiting for someone to arrive?

…

……

………

Of course not.

You’re mistaken, Miss Gray Wolf.

Come quickly. Come help me, Marquis de Blois. Save my bloody self and return my sister to me!