"Here it is"
I grabbed the first aid box and returned to the bloodied Sara who, despite her injuries, was eagerly awaiting my return.
Furthermore, she was giddy! Like a little kid— Well, I guess anyone would during their "exactly as planned" moment. Still though, an "exactly as planned" moment at my expense leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
I dropped the first aid box in front of her
"Here"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"You're not going to wrap them for me?"
"Ofcourse not! Do it yourself. Geez, couldn't you have prepared a better defense if you knew you'd be struck by lightning?"
"Fufufufu, a little blood won't cut it, I needed her panicking, thinking I was on the brink of death. That mental leverage made her easier to manipulate"
"She was surprisingly apologetic once she realized you weren't a witch. You really aren't a witch, right?"
"Well, my intel told me that much but still, she was far easier than I expected, sigh, she agreed so fast I didn't get to have any fun"
She completely ignored my question! And Intel?
"You're probably thinking "Intel from whom?", And your guess is right, it was from the man you referred to as the butler, here"
She handed me a sheet of paper with some strange string of numbers filling the page, a code? And wait, this paper.... it's from back then, when I first came in contact with the Student Council, right before the Munroe Mansion murder case.
"Didn't you say this was a case?"
"That was a lie"
"Why, you....."
"And that's why I needed this much damage, fufufu. One problem though, I might've miscalculated and now it hurts to move, so bandage m—OW!"
I poked her injury a little, just for fun.
Then I picked up the bandages to begin
"So tell me.... What exactly is a malefis?"
"Oh, it's a game— ow, ow, ow... Too tight!"
"I know. You did all this.....FOR A GAME?!"
While there are still gaps in my reasoning and I'm not sure how much was planned and how much coincidence, fact remains that the volume of detail and complexity that went into her plan couldn't just be for a random game.
Flailing around playfully, she asked me to calm down so she could explain better.
"As you've probably already experienced, witch's have near-limitless unimaginable power, it's the absolute height of human stupidity to challenge one head-on....."
She just casually called me stupid, but I'll let it slide
"..... That's where a malefis comes in, it's a special restriction placed on witches that allows a regular person to challenge them to a game of any kind and if you win, they have to grant you one wish that has been agreed by both parties before the start of the game"
"Then why didn't you just skip the mental hoops and challenge her directly?"
"Well, despite how "fair" the malefis seems, it's actually one big scam. After all, the one who's challenged gets to set the rules of the game"
"Hmmm.... Oh, I see, a witch has nothing to really gain from a malefis, so she'll usually be the one getting challenged, and if she sets the rules, she can set ones favorable for her. Victory is just a pipedream"
"Exactly! There's no way I'd bet my life on a game I'm sure to lose, might as well risk it to seize victory"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean "bet your life"?"
"Did I forget to mention? If you lose to witch in a malefis, you die"
She said, with a smile on her face.
"I see... Any other rules I should know about?"
"Hmm.... let's see..... a witch cannot refuse a challenge unless she's currently participating in another malefis, the result and agreements made within the malefis cannot be overturned unless agreed upon by both parties, hmm.... what else?"
Although there were slight differences, this felt similar to game I'd been involved in, is it just my imagination?
"And in case you're feeling some deja vu, the grand casino was actually one big malefis"
"Oh?"
"By setting foot on the train, you officially challenge her and agree to all her rules, including the fact that she can reject your wish, and you can't challenge her to a new malefis since another one is already underway. An annoying strategy to protect herself even if she lost"
"Why though?"
"Not sure, but for some reason, witches have an aversion towards granting a wish. Don't know why since I'm not one myself. That woman was nothing but trouble"
"Trouble you dragged me into"
Ofcourse, just like my encountering library girl earlier that day, the whole phantom of the music room + grand casino fiasco, while somewhat part of her plan, was majorly a misdirection, to make me believe she'd already achieved her intent so my guard would be down while I'm unconsciously manipulated by her.
Shit, this girl is good... and for some reason, she's inches away from my face looking more mischievous than ever.
"What is it?"
"Lady Sara is so amazing, a genius who played me like a little toy. I was foolish to think I could beat her— You're thinking something along those lines, right?— Ow ow ow ow"
I tightened her bandage again for a brief moment to stop her dramatic teasing.
After I stopped, she smiled before she said
"Well, I hope this defeat gets you to stop holding back from now on"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Speaking of talks, why don't you explain your evil plan, little Ms Genius"
"I believe you'd agree I'm the farthest thing from little "
"Not funny"
"Fufufu, why don't you tell me how much you've figured out and I'll fill in the gaps—ow, ow, ow"
"You always do that— gauging what I know so you can leave out bits of information"
"Fufu, you caught me"
How could I not? Every single question she's dodged since I met her, refused to answer or info she left out, which I just chucked up to her playful personality, were all calculated, to make sure I didn't figure out her plan sooner.
"Get to talking"
"Alright, alright...where to start, about a week before my bet with the casino's conductor, I had the person you refer to as "the butler" investigate Eleanor Clarke who we both suspected—"
"Why did you suspect her?"
"Not telling—ow, ow, ow, Okay.... Well, there's actually one way to identify a witch"
"But you still haven't caught the witch at our school? First I thought you were the witch, but I guess you're just incompetent"
"You're harsh, I'd like to see you spot a star and crescent tattoo on a girl's cheeks"
"It'd be rather difficult NOT to spot something like that on a person's cheek"
"Fufufufu, not those cheeks—Ow!...."
That one was a reflex, got flustered for a sec
".... Still though, I've snuck peeks during swim classes but still nothing, at some point I started questioning if that tattoo hint was a hoax"
"Dare I even ask how your friend spotted the tattoo?"
She replied with a light giggle before ignoring the question completely.
"Anyway, while he was busy with that, I set up the phantom of music room, made my bet with the conductor and "bumped" into you. Ofcourse, I made sure to drop obvious hints so you'd figure out I was the phantom...."
So she was playing with kid gloves back then? Well....more like she needed me to figure it out— me figuring out her plan back then was also a part of her plan.
"..... That whole incident served to gauge your current level. After all, you can't subtly manipulate someone if they're too dumb to pickup what you're putting down—Ow, Ow, Ow, I'M JUST TELLING THE TRUTH"
"Not what this is for. That's not the only reason, is it?"
"Geez, fine. By having you figure it out, I could get you to join the occult research club, where you'll come in contact with the subject instrumental for guiding you along my plan"
"Liz, right?"
"Yes. Once you've taken an interest in her and learnt her curse, I knew you'd be fully invested in trying to break it, preferably before the next 18th. To do that, you'd need reliable information on the occult fast which you'd only be able to get from me. That way, I'd be able to feed you information to skew your reasoning and manipulate you towards this outcome"
"And you thought 'why don't we kill Liz's father figure while we're at it', huh?!"
"That.... wasn't me..."
She said as her face sank with guilt
".....the person you call the butler did it behind my back knowing full well I'd be too busy stop him— it was between letting the plan I'd invested so much time in fall apart or help Liz"
"And you chose your plan?"
"Ofcourse"
"You're cold"
"Can't argue with that...." She flashed a self-deprecating smile "....hunting the witches is the most important thing to me, and this plan involves 3 of them, I couldn't just let it go to waste. But that doesn't mean I don't care about Liz, it's why I asked you to look after her for me..."
I can't forget that moment even if I want to...the look in her eyes was so genuine, I guess she really was worried
She returned to her usual demeanor almost immediately and shrugged
"... Ofcourse, he anticipated that as well and chose someone who rendered your curse all but useless. Sigh, even worse, his crap almost put a damper on my plans, forcing me to do that"
"Do what?"
"Help you find Lizbeth after she went solo. Thanks to that, she opened up to you far more than I'd initially calculated and even worse, her guilt towards you for risking your life to save her made her unpredictable— making moves she normally wouldn't"
"Like helping me beat you?"
"Fufufu, you still failed though"
"Tch"
"Besides, my plan would've fallen apart if you'd just asked her if I was a witch, because she would've denied it with absolute certainty"
Holy crap! Why didn't I think of that?!
"You probably convinced yourself that you didn't want to put her in unnecessary danger and tried your best to keep her out of it as much as possible, didn't you? We both know the truth, though"
"Huh?"
"It's that arrogance I warned you about before"
"I wasn't being—"
"Well, maybe arrogance isn't the right word, what's the word for it again...."
She tilted her head thinking for a bit but gave up quickly
".... Oh, well"
"C'mon!"
"In simple terms, you're used to doing things on your own, being the hero who steps in to save the damsel in distress, the closing act, whatever..... Because of that, you couldn't handle it if Lizbeth stole your thunder so you chose to face me alone for the most part"
"That's not true, I—"
"—Well, we're not here to talk about you...."
AT LEAST GIVE ME A CHANCE TO DEFEND MYSELF!
"..... We're talking about me right now, so knowing your personality I thought to myself; even if Lizbeth is currently unpredictable, I can use you limit her moves by giving her little to no reason to act out, and that's why I decided to give you a damsel in distress to save"
"Michelle"
"Bingo!"
"So your whole plan to ruin Michelle's school life was just—"
" — A hoax, a lie, a misdirection, a diversion. With a problem to solve, your hero complex will naturally kick in. Yeah, that's the word..."
She stared at me with her mischievous grin as she reiterated "he-ro-com-plex"
I tightened her bandage for a second.
"Doesn't that just mean you're afraid of Liz?"
"Not really. It's just that I'd already burnt the midnight oil on the setup so it felt like a shame to just scrap it. Ofcourse, I had a couple of backup plans but still, I've got callouses on my hands! I couldn't just let all that effort go to waste! I guess it's what you call sunk cost fallacy, isn't it?"
Callouses? What does that have to do with–
Wait.....
"Hey, Sara.... Just for reference, what exactly were you doing that made you too busy to help Liz?"
"Huh? Clearing the traps in the haunted hotel and ofcourse, making the puppets and preparing the setup for the game. Couldn't have done it without that spellbook, thanks btw"
I knew it.
I tightened that bandage all the way
"Ow, ow, ow that's too tight—"
"I initially assumed you just sold me out to that clown bastard for his game... But to think he was a grunt and you were the mastermind all along...."
"Ow, ow...You're overreactin—"
"YOU TRIED TO KILL ME, SORRY FOR OVERREACTING!"
I retorted sarcastically
"If I—ow, wanted you dead, I would've hosted it myself"
Upon hearing that, I loosened it a bit. She does have a point, had she been the one I was up against, I doubt I would've been able to escape.
Now that I think about it, right after I joined the occult research club, Sara didn't stop by for a week and after that she was still on and off— I'm guessing during that time, she was preparing the haunted hotel.
That also explains why she didn't know about library girl's activities, I'm the one who foolishly assumed she was helping library girl all that time.
To think she even used her friend's mental state to misdirect me, scary. Also...
"..... That's why that crow had your scent"
"Huh? Oh, I used yours as a thigh pillow while working. That said, I'm impressed you know what I smell like, are you secretly a perver— OWWWWW"
She really gets on my nerves.
"Still though, despite his betrayal, you're still covering for that butler guy?"
"He's useful so I can't let him go just yet. Besides, it wasn't all bad— Lizbeth is happier now, and I wouldn't have known about Katie's suffering otherwise, thank you for this"
Her gratitude caught me offguard and while it's painful to admit, my heart skipped a beat for a second there.
"Don't.... Thank me"
"Yeah, you're right. You only did it because you were dancing to my tune, fufufufu...."
Seriously, someone or something knock this girl down a peg for me!
"..... That said, even I agree that guy's a jerk, acting on his own and leaving the cleanup to the both of us, he's getting a slap when next we meet"
"Both....of us? Who's the second?"
"Huh? You met him at the hotel"
"The fortune teller?"
"Ofcourse not"
"Napmoth?"
"Bingo"
"Wait.... That wasn't the butler Napmoth?"
"FufufuHAHAHAHA....if you were up against him, you'd be dead!"
"Shut it"
"Think back to everything I've told you so far, the identity of Napmoth should become clear"
Everything she's told me....
.
.
.
Huh? Wait, a contradiction
"Seems you've figured it out"
"You told me this note was a mission and Rick was on it, but since it was actually just a message, what was he doing?"
"Give the man a cigar. The identity of Napmoth, drumroll please... RICHARD KASTLE. He stayed out of sight so you wouldn't read his mind. Ofcourse, I didn't tell him the whole plan so even if you did, it wouldn't have changed much, he has a crush on me so he rarely asks questions on these kinds of things"
"Can you say that last part in a way that doesn't make you sound like a manipulative evil bi*ch?"
"You jealous?"
"Dream on"
"Anyway, his curse lets him possess objects and people— for the latter, there are a bunch of conditions he has to fulfil, he spent the month he was away working on clearing those conditions for his target"
So the thing about a relative passing was a lie? Or rather, a misdirection. The other twin probably attended the funeral to cover for her brother.
"So the fortune teller Eleanor met was..."
"Possessed by Richard, yes"
"And the reason Adrian didn't spot anyone leaving the building was.."
"Because Richard was never in the building to begin with, his curse doesn't have a range limit"
I incorrectly assumed Napmoth was being controlled, not possessed as a result of a person's curse. Another by product of her information manipulation
And most importantly, he made a mess of the game probably because he was jealous of Sara giving me this much attention— making my escape room more difficult, the lack of game balance and others.
I was right to think that guy was just as crazy as Sara, he was really out to kill me.
"Just what instructions did you give that guy?"
"Huh? Well, I gave him free rein in deciding the game and hmm.... Oh, I told him he'll never be able to beat you"
"I hope you fall flat on your face one day"
"Fufufufu, that's impossible. my b**bs will cushion my fall "
"I didn't mean it literally! Still though, it's a relief you weren't really out to get Michelle"
"Well... Less that I don't want to and more like I can't"
"Huh?"
"That girl's like Lois Lane— a high strung, annoying little bug you can't stomp out because she's got Superman protecting her"
"How dare you insult Lois Lane?! And by Superman, you don't mean—"
"Like I said earlier, I don't pick fights I can't win— and a fight with Bruce King is one I'm guaranteed to lose"
There's that glazing again. Is this guy really all that?
"If he was so smart, he would've caught this note"
I retorted, raising the note from the butler. She shook her head
"That was the only message he sent by note, the rest was done over the phone. He only did that for two reasons....."
She began raising two fingers
".... First, so as not to leave any electronic evidence that could be traced by the cops, that note has details of him breaking the Chameleon out after all. Second, he knows Bruce knows he wouldn't be foolish enough to let such sensitive information pass through his office, so he wouldn't bother to check it— it's a dumb move, which also made it a smart move on a one time occasion if your opponent is equally smart"
I don't know if it was intentional or a mistake but Sara just gave me a HUGE lead
Bruce King knows the identity of the butler
Then there's this note— handwriting analysis and hopefully fingerprints.
Did she really just make that mistake, or is she trying to manipulate me into doing her bidding again?
"Still though..." She continued "... There's no telling how the pieces on the board will change once elections come around so crushing her isn't completely out of the question. Well, as long as you keep her in check, it's all good"
"Sigh, I still have to do that?"
"Fufu, I'm counting on you"
She said with a giggle. What a drag!...
"One more question... Why can't I read your mind?"
"That's a secret, I'm afraid"
I tightened her bandage again but she showed no reaction this time
"I've gotten used to the pain now so you're going to have to try something else"