Niwang was the first to ask, "What do you mean?"
Due to a premonition of danger and a vague sense of distrust, he had been intentionally or unintentionally positioning herself between the two mysterious Black-haired men and Nana, but fortunately, those two mysterious men did not say much and had just been staying quietly.
He neither helped nor added to the chaos.
This sudden reminder, delivered with such certainty, was bound to make people suspicious.
The Black-haired youth did not care about Niwang's vigilance; in fact, a fleeting, almost imperceptible trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes—though no one noticed—as he offered a simple, cold explanation in a voice that was slightly low and hoarse, as if he were suffering from a cold.
It's not English. It's Latin.
He frowned slightly, whether out of dissatisfaction with the concept of life or otherwise, then explained extremely quickly, "In Latin, Lust is Luxuria, Greed is Avaritia, Sloth is Acedia, Wrath is Ira, Envy is Invidia."
Those Obsidian eyes carried a sense of indifference toward human life, as if steeped in slaughter: "L, A, A, I, I—there they are."
"You mean.. the Seven Deadly Sins?" Kindaichi exclaimed, frowning.
"But.. what does this have to do with the way they died?" Judy couldn't help but ask.
The black-haired youth let out a sneer. "Have you heard of Dante's The Divine Comedy?"
The Black-haired man, still wearing a white mask, glanced at him, his eyes flashing.
Nana nodded numbly, under her boyfriend's bewildered gaze, she slowly recounted, "‘I am the crystallization of divine power, divine will, divine love.. Those who enter shall lose all hope. Pride, beware of arrogance—punished by heavy burdens; Envy, beware of jealousy—punished by sewn eyes..'" (1)
Kinda Ichichi's expression was extremely serious as he slowly added, "'Wrath, beware of rage—punishment of black smoke;; Gluttony, beware of food—punishment of hunger; ***, beware of lust—punishment of flames.'" (1)
Conan nodded slowly.
This way, everything connects.
From a legal standpoint, the first Victim died of 'Sloth,' the second Victim, Miss Chikamoto, died of '***,' and the next two died of 'Greed' and 'Envy' respectively.
And this Mr. Aida died of Wrath.
The toxic substance in his body was likely inhaled in the form of smoke.
Mori Ran listened to their conversation, his delicate face gradually turning pale. "But.. but.. if that's the case, then the victim, Miss Chikamoto, was clearly driven by jealousy.. so why was his face burned with fire?"
Because Dante's definition of the Seven Deadly Sins is different from our modern definition," Conan explained, pushing up his glasses with a serious expression. "As for Miss Chikamoto, Dante's definition of jealousy is 'the love for one's own possessions turning into hatred toward those who possess better things,' but regarding the previous case, Miss Chikamoto never received the love of Mr. Ono.
And Dante's standard for 'envy' is 'an excessive admiration for another'—this part fits quite well. Although Miss Chikamoto's object of 'envy' was Mr. Ono, the person she actually harmed was Ms. Sasaki." Conan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I think it is precisely because of this that everyone has been thinking in terms of 'envy,' which has instead allowed the Killer's true intentions to remain hidden.
I see." Ran nodded as he listened to the explanation. "But.. what is this case about this time? Is it simply because Mr. Aida has a bad temper?
I think it's not just that," Nana said with a heavy expression. "The previous victims all, to varying degrees, did things to harm others. The first victim harmed an innocent woman because of his own 'laziness,' the second one harmed Ms. Sasaki, the third and fourth were the same.. The Killer's actions seem more like choosing people to harm or injure because of their own 'sins'.. In this way—
"Punishing them." Kinda Ichichi concluded with finality.
Their hearts grew heavy.
On one hand, they were not facing a Victim who was a "good person," nor were they facing someone who used their so-called "Justice" to judge others and toy with their lives; on the other hand, if it was the Seven Deadly Sins, it meant..
There will be two more murder cases.
..
As irritable as he was, he still had to attend to important matters.
Kindaichi first contacted the Police to report the latest clues regarding the case, then he walked into the room as usual to seek more intelligence from Mrs. Aida.
Nana was lost in thought.
The sun was gradually setting, there was no sign of Dr. Shinzo coming out yet. Judy was actually waiting with great patience, which made Nana sigh in her melancholy; it seemed that Judy quite liked that gentle doctor.
Yaji went to buy food for Nana. The young detective girl only had a quick breakfast before heading out today, she ran into so much trouble that her stomach is completely empty now.
Niwang saw that given the current situation, there wouldn't be any danger, so he simply went out to get some food for his girlfriend, reminding Nana not to run around before he left.
Nana: …………
Does he think I'm some kind of little child?
Still, it wasn't that she wasn't moved.
The gentle Mori Ran also noticed the eating habits of the two detectives, one large and one small, in the family. He followed Niwang out when he left, intending to bring something for the two detectives to eat so they wouldn't starve.
The mysterious Masked man never spoke, Nana noticed that his gaze had been intentionally or unintentionally eyeing the Black-haired youth, as well as Judy and Dr. Shinzo—before Dr. Shinzo entered the room.
Although she didn't understand why, Nana was still very glad that the other person had not turned her attention toward her.
Regardless of whether he is a dangerous person or not, it would be best if he ignores me.
Unfortunately, not every dangerous person will ignore Nana.
She tilted her head back, watching the black-haired youth as he walked slowly toward her, feeling waves of sweat rising up her spine, her green eyes filled with vigilance.
You said you'd ignore me?
—There was no such agreement.
The black-haired youth let out a sneer.
"Do you.. do you need something?" Refusing to be outdone, Nana decided to take the initiative.
Unfortunately, her momentum simply couldn't compare to his QAQ
"Thinking about this Case?" The Youth did not seem to intend to make things difficult for him; although his Voice was cold, his words did not sound aggressive.
Nana nodded. "Yes. I find it a bit strange.. exactly who Mr. Aida harmed."
Although, based on the investigation, this gentleman's temper didn't seem to be very good, his "crimes" were not as serious as those of the previous few.
"Is that so?" the Black-haired youth spoke coldly, a trace of disdainful light flashing within his black eyes.
Does he.. know something?
Nana thought aimlessly for a moment, then pressed the DELETE key on all the random thoughts in her mind—at a time like this, she preferred to keep her distance from this guy.
However, in the next second, the black-haired youth raised his left hand without warning, reaching straight toward Nana's right ear.
His Finger touched the hearing aid worn on Nana's ear.
—The cool fingertips touched the cool hearing aid.
Nana could not dodge in time, an inexplicable premonition grew increasingly intense in her heart, screaming wildly in her mind. She could only force herself to remain calm and asked in a cold voice, "What are you planning to do?"
Her Voice trembled.
The Black-haired youth did not answer her; his left hand left the hearing aid in Nana's right ear and instead reached toward the Black-haired girl's forehead.
Then, he pressed lightly against her brow.
"Be good," he said.
The Black-haired girl's eyes suddenly widened, as if she had realized something.
At the same time, the sound of footsteps came from not far away.
-----------------------
Author's Note: (1) Excerpted from Dante's The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio
Akai Shuichi remained silent for fear of being recognized; she knew Borse.
..
Thank you to the Little Angel who voted for me with Overlord Tickets or provided Nutrient solution~
Thank you to the Little Angels who provided Nutrient solution:
Daily One Sip I Yuan 30 bottles; Guan Liunian 16 bottles; Mei 15 bottles; Lou Fengcha, Chenguang Weixi 10 bottles; Kongshan Jue, Yedi Diya, 37546653 1 bottle;
Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 135 Chapter 119 This mission, how to entrust it to Gin..
The person who came was Akai Shuichi.
Startled by Borse's previous actions and before she could even regain her composure, Nana was startled by the sound, her eyes wide in a panicked expression as she looked toward the newcomer.
However, she realized belatedly that Borse had let go of his at some unknown point.
Nana blinked, quickly restoring her usual composure as fast as she could. Her heart was pounding violently, almost excessively fast. Even so, the Black-haired girl still struggled to keep himself from showing any signs of abnormality.
Still wearing her mask, Akai Shuichi cast a subtle glance at the two of them, her gaze inscrutable, yet she remained silent.
For a moment, the three people fell into a slightly eerie silence.
The one who broke the silence was Borse.
His voice was still somewhat hoarse, but as it rang out at this moment, to Nana, it was no less than heavenly: "Since you can't figure out what the Victim did, why not go and ask his wife."
He calmly dismissed their previous exchange as a discussion regarding the Case.
Nana breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took the opportunity to follow the lead: "Um.. okay."
He paused, she still could not help but show a slight smile toward Borse: "Thank you for the reminder.. sir."
Thinking about it carefully, regardless of what motive the black-haired youth had for saying those words, he was not wrong at all.
He really.. should ask Mr. Aida's wife.
..
Mr. Aida's wife is a gentle yet tough woman; although she appears haggard and grief-stricken due to her husband's death, her speech remains clear and logical.
According to him, she is a graduate student majoring in chemistry at East University, before getting married, she was an elite professional who thrived in the workplace.
Her actual age was slightly younger than Mr. Aida, but she looked to be about the same age as that Mr. Aida, his skin condition was shockingly poor, though his eyes remained clear and bright; judging by his features, she must have been a beauty in his youth.
—Even now, his manner and temperament are elegant and refined; even though his years have passed, she can still be described as "beautiful."
His temper isn't very good.. sometimes it's hard to calm him down when he gets angry, sometimes he even scolds me," Mrs. Aida recounted slowly. "But he has never laid a hand on me.. On ordinary days, he is very good to me.
"May I ask, your children were??" Kindaichi arrived relatively early. They had already asked Mrs. Aida about the daily routine during the days surrounding the murder, now he shifted the topic to the Aida couple's children.
“He.. he was also good to the Child,” the Wife said with a bitter smile. “My two children.. they passed away in an accident a few years ago—it was because of an illness. At that time, I was traveling, he was looking after the children alone, with his busy work schedule, he was a bit careless. It happened during a period of frequent flu outbreaks in spring, in a moment of negligence.."
At this point, she was almost too weak to continue. He closed his eyes, his eyes, which had already shed tears more than once, filled with tears once again. "When he called, I didn't pay much attention.. I never expected an accident would actually happen to the Child. By the time he called again, the Child was already suffering from a serious illness. By the time I returned, they were already on the verge of death."
Two lines of clear tears slowly rolled down.
Nana frowned slightly.