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Fifth of Seven Mysteries (3): Attendance Number 4: Heinz
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In the bushes behind the dormitory, Heinz stood in what was once a sandbox, which appeared to be the location where the Fifth Mystery was said to have taken place.
Upon spotting me, Heinz spoke in an unusually cheerful tone.
“What are you doing here, Lux?” (Heinz)
I ignored his question and responded.
“The ones hiding nearby are Lite and Lev, aren’t they? You can come out now. I know you’re there.” (Lux)
I called the two people concealed in the shadows of the bushes.
“What are you talking about…?” (Heinz)
Heinz began to say, but I interrupted.
“Heinz, if you don’t intend to harm me, could you be honest with me?” (Lux)
“And what if I did intend to harm you?” (Heinz)
“Do you really think I’d be here unprepared?” (Lux)
After a moment of staring each other down, Heinz let out a sigh.
“I give up, you win. Let me make it clear that I have no intention of harming you, Lux. Lev, Lite, come out.” (Heinz)
Responding to his voice, Lev and Lite revealed themselves. They seemed quite wary of me, even Lite, usually loud, didn’t utter a single word.
“How did you know we were here?” (Heinz)
“I checked through Rita-san’s connections.” (Lux)
“Why did you think we’d be here today?” (Heinz)
“I didn’t know if it would be today, but I figured it would be within a few days. Specifically, before we at Catrap re-investigated this Mystery. So, I planned to come here every day until then.” (Lux)
“I see…” (Heinz)
A silence fell between us.
Heinz took another deep breath.
“Why did you think the two of us were connected?” (Heinz)
“First, I need you to promise me something.” (Lux)
I said, answering Heinz’s question.
“A promise?” (Heinz)
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but could you explain it not only to me but to everyone at Catrap?” (Lux)
Silence once more.
“And if I refuse?” (Heinz)
“Then, I’ll tell everyone about today. And if I feel it’s necessary, I’ll even tell Rita-san.” (Lux)
We fell silent again, locked in a tense standoff. Finally, Heinz spoke first.
“Honestly, Lux, you usually seem so absent-minded, but sometimes you’re scarily sharp… Fine, I’ll agree to your terms.” (Heinz)
“Heinz-sama!” (Lite)
Lite took a step forward and spoke in a tone entirely opposite to his usual rough way of speaking. However, Heinz cut him off.
“Enough. Stand back.” (Heinz)
Lite obediently knelt behind Heinz, waiting silently.
What kind of relationship do they have?
“Alright, then. I’ll keep my promise. I swear on the name of ‘Roar’. But first, Lux, I’d like you to tell me how you figured it out.” (Heinz)
Judging from Heinz’s eyes, I believed he was being sincere, so I began explaining the inconsistencies I’d noticed so far.
“It started with something Lite said.” (Lux)
“Me?” (Lite)
Lite pointed at himself, looking at me with suspicion.
“Yeah. When Saxon’s older brother Bind came, we devised a surprise attack with Saxon. The plan was to target the Heavy Trooper (Armor) on the opposite hill from the hill we were on. At that time, you said to me, ‘You probably won’t miss with that gun of yours, but don’t hit Bind’.” (Lux)
“Did I really say that?” (Lite)
“Yeah, and I found it strange. How did Lite know about my favorite gun (Counter)?” (Lux)
That was the first point that raised my suspicion. If Lite had heard about it from someone else, knowing his personality, he would’ve asked me to show him the gun. Moreover, very few people outside Catrap knew about the unique nature of my gun or my skill with it. They are only Bianca, Lamie-senpai, and Saras-senpai, among a handful of others.
Lite and Lev, who had just recently enrolled, shouldn’t have had many opportunities to know about my gun.
Bianca, for instance, being the daughter of a military family, is surprisingly tight-lipped. While she might discuss her own weapons, she wouldn’t casually talk about someone else’s. The same goes for Rita-san, Lulu, Lamie-senpai, and Saras-senpai. If they had something to share with me, they would have done so directly. And even if Lite and Lev were somehow connected to Lamie-senpai, I couldn’t imagine her discussing my weapon with them.
The need to share information about me suggests they wanted to assess the combat strength within the same unit.
“Ordinary sniper rifles can’t handle the distance between those hills. It’s barely doable even with my long-range gun (Counter). At first, I thought they had devised the strategy without understanding the range, but you two attended Remnos Military Academy, didn’t you? It’s odd that you wouldn’t know the range of a regular sniper rifle.” (Lux)
“…Looks like we slipped up there.” (Lite)
Lite smiled wryly.
Saxon originally chose Bianca, but if she hadn’t declined, he would have found a reason to replace her with me.
“Then, I started wondering if Lite or Lev had someone they knew among our class members, or even in Catrap, someone they had a reason to keep their relationship with a secret.” (Lux)
The first candidate that came to mind was Maria. She seemed the most likely. Maria is the daughter of one of the most prominent noble households in this country, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she had acquaintances in a neighboring country. For a while, I simply observed how Lite and Lev interacted with Maria. I wanted to see if there was anything unusual in how they behaved around her. Of course, I kept an eye out for anyone else who might fit as well.
“You’re quite suspicious, aren’t you?” (Lev)
Lev spoke up for the first time.
“Normally, I wouldn’t go this far. If I noticed something odd, I’d usually assume they might just be acquaintances. But, as I’m sure Heinz has told you by now, I saw you both acting suspiciously behind the old school building before we even enrolled. I couldn’t rule out the possibility of spies, so I took appropriate measures.” (Lux)
“Ah, I see. So, it wasn’t Lite’s remark that got us. We made our first mistake from the beginning.” (Lev)
“But even now, you still don’t know exactly who is connected to these two, right?” (Heinz)
“That’s true. It was during the recent class competition when I became almost certain. It was during that exercise where we were outplayed by Gellar.” (Lux)
“Was something unusual there?” (Heinz)
“Oh, there was. When you were targeted, Lev quickly covered for you. And Lite, who usually can’t wait to charge into the frontlines, didn’t even try to join in Saxon’s rescue. It was as if there was someone among the remaining members who needed to be protected.” (Lux)
“!?” (Heinz)
They must have some idea of what I’m getting at. In the moonlight, I couldn’t see clearly, but both Lite and Lev seemed to wear expressions as if they had swallowed something bitter.
“Reflecting on it, with the possibility that you, Heinz, were connected to Lite and Lev, there were a few things that struck me as suspicious. I hadn’t noticed them before, but when I thought back, they stood out. I think, perhaps, the two of them were wandering around behind the old school building because it’s related to the Seven Mysteries. That might be why you’re so invested in investigating them.” (Lux)
“Is that how it seemed?” (Heinz)
“Yeah, that’s how it looked. The second and third Mysteries aren’t particularly interesting mysteries, so most people would probably lose interest around then. But you’ve always been actively involved in the Seven Mysteries, right? Plus, I have another guess. It was you who hid the files in the old school’s library, wasn’t it? You were the first person I told about the files after Rick-san and I found them during dinner.” (Lux)
At first, Rick and I thought the files were stolen when we went to check out the intruders (Lite and Lev) without locking the room. But, for example, it wouldn’t have been impossible for someone to sneak in and steal them after dinner. And if there were three people involved, sneaking out with 12 files wouldn’t have been difficult at all.
“There are other details too, but if I’m right and this is connected to the Seven Mysteries, then this period of a few days that Heinz set up as a grace period is for investigating the Fifth MYstery. I thought you’d use that time to move secretly… even if I still don’t know your objective.” (Lux)
Yes, it felt like a scene where, under normal circumstances, Heinz would say something like, “Let’s at least check if Burke-sensei is around”, regardless of whether it was a break or not. But it was as if he had intentionally left this time open.
After I had said all this, Heinz chuckled softly.
“I really have to hand it to you. You got me. Lux, you’re incredible. I’d like to have you on my side.” (Heinz)
“Have me on your side?” (Lux)
I tilted my head, puzzled by his unusual phrasing.
Heinz continued.
“As promised, I’ll share the details when everyone in Catrap is gathered. But first, a proper introduction. My real name is Murial ‘Roar’ Heinz. I am a descendant of the Princess of the Principality of Remnos.” (Heinz)
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