I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 78
They were anxious, fearing theyâd become collateral damage in this battle involving the most powerful figures in the empire: the Second Prince, closest to the throne, the Third Prince with his vast intelligence network, and the First Prince who had once ascended to the position of Crown Prince.
At the same time, the officers wanted to resolve this matter quickly to demonstrate their competence.
The psychometry specialist, having created the memory fragment, sought another wind mage among the city guard. Damon raised his hand and spoke.
“If it’s about visualizing it, I can do it. Shall I give it a try?”
“Would you really?”
“Of course.”
Damon drew his wand and began to channel his magic to visualize the contents within.
As he cast the spell, figures began to appear in the area where they were standing.
“My goodness!”
“What is this?”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Illenas and Damon appeared to be having a conversation, although their voices couldn’t be heard. Their body movements indicated they were talking. Since the purpose of the memory fragment was not to capture their conversation but to identify the culprit, this wasn’t an issue.
The strange part was that Illenasâ face appeared completely blacked out, making her unrecognizable, while Damon’s features were vividly clear.
Everyone watched intently as the strange scene unfolded. The presumed Illenas and Damon were drinking and concentrating on the conversation.
The drunk Illenas seemed to stumble, and then the incident occurred.
A shadowy figure wielding a black club struck Damon in the back of the head. His eyes widened in shock, and he let out a silent scream before collapsing.
The assailant, dressed in black with a crimson-tinged cloak, approached Illenas.
Suddenly, the vision became distorted with static and plunged into darkness.
Both the attacker and Illenas were completely enveloped in darkness, making it impossible to see their movements or the surroundings.
“…That’s all there is.”
The students, having witnessed what felt like a brief thriller, were left in shock.
With no clues or leads, the entire crime scene was obscured, leaving everyone unsure of what to do next.
“What happens now?”
“More psychometry specialistwill likely be brought in. Each one will try to gather different fragments of the memory.”
“And then?”
“Then weâll continue the investigation. However… the specialist we brought today is among the top three in the capital.”
The person who seemed to be in charge of the city guard added with a bitter smile.
“So…?”
“Usually, if he canât find anything more, itâs unlikely anyone else will.”
“Does that mean we canât find the person who attacked me?”
“…Hmm.”
The chief officer looked conflicted, unsure of what to say. But then he had an idea.
“Ah! Can you replay the memory once more?”
“….Alright.”
Damon agreed, though he seemed doubtful and in a bad mood. He replayed the scene, pausing just before the attacker struck him.
“Look at the clothing! We might be able to narrow it down based on what they’re wearing!”
It was a good idea. At the dance party, people could dress as they liked. The paused image revealed the attackerâs outfit.
“Ha. It looks just like Brotherâs outfit.”
“Indeed. Itâs almost identical, isnât it?”
The attacker was dressed exactly like Edwin.
“But the First Prince has been in the main hall the whole time.”
A cold voice interjected. It was Marian.
“Are you the daughter of Count Rosenta?”
“Yes, I am. If you need me to take a truth serum, I will. But I can vouch for the First Princeâs presence in the hall from 7:05 to 7:45, and it is now 7:50.”
Marian stated firmly, looking at Edwin.
Edwin vaguely remembered her. She had been in the same group as Illein and Wilai during their potion classes.
“Indeed.”
“Brother seems quite capable, doesnât he? To have already won over the ladyâs heart.”
The Second and Third Princes teased and laughed. It was the kind of joke that, if taken seriously, would make the responder look petty.
“It is a followerâs right to choose their leader.”
Marianâs firm response dismissed the two princes’ comments.
Her family, County Rosenta, officially maintained a neutral stance, but they had historically supported the late Empress. From her perspective, supporting Edwin wasnât an unwelcome choice.
“Remember the fire incident at the palace that resulted in a death?”
“Even then, my brother had many witnesses who could account for his whereabouts. Yet the psychometry user identified his attire.”
“And if I recall correctly, his face was also obscured in the memory fragments.”
