"Well, how much would you be willing to pay for this, Duke?"
At Eon's words, the Duke fiddled with the watch chain sticking out of his pocket.
"In my lifetime, I have never encountered an object so difficult to price, but I intend to pay a higher price than even a stallion. Of course, if there is a price you desire, you are welcome to suggest one, Marquis."
[What? A stallion this time? You're treating me like a piece of junk.]
[That's funny.]
The emotions of both people could be heard simultaneously. What was in Eon's eyes was clear contempt. Even if we overlooked the kid, it was honestly surprising that even Eon was reacting this way. It was clearly him who had numbered them and put them on display like objects.
I thought I might even scoff at that double-faced appearance, but before that, I caught sight of the Duke sweeping away the frozen homunculus.
The way his hand traced the curves of the woman's body was clearly intentional. I finally noticed his gleaming eyes, which I hadn't noticed while observing Eon.
'You're thinking that in this chaos?'
As the top predator among the nobility, it was certain that he felt no danger from the strange beings in the exhibition hall. He was simply a man who firmly believed that everything in the world existed solely for his own pleasure and comfort.
"So, isn't it an object that can be used in truly diverse ways? Its appearance is so magnificent, and its texture is just like a human's..."
The Duke signaled that although he could not bring himself to mention it out of the dignity of a respectable nobleman, everyone knew.
[Yeah, you bastards have always revealed your rotten desires like that.]
Eon played along with the Duke while concealing his true feelings. He hadn't realized that the Duke was such a sociable person.
"That's right, as you can see, it is no different from a human."
"Since it eats and sleeps, it must be able to do all the other things humans do, right?"
"Everything... I suppose it would be possible except for conception."
Eon spoke of the Duke's base desires on his behalf. Instead of getting angry, the Duke lifted his head with a flushed face and burst into laughter.
"Ahaha. That would be even better."
“Do you like it?”
I wondered if Eon might just twist the Duke's neck. Lost in his own excitement, the Duke was completely oblivious to the look in Eon's eyes as he gazed at him.
"It would be the icing on the cake if I could just change that hair and eye color... I am certain the price would double."
The Duke patted Eon on the shoulder as if they had become quite close.
“Then before that.”
Eon cast a glance at Rudis, who had remained silent until now. It was the moment this visit, which he had considered a decisive blow, had devolved into a business meeting with the Magic Tower. However, the moment he became aware of Eon's gaze, he hid his despondency and put on his usual cheerful face.
"I would like to hear exactly how you interrogated me."
“Ah, that’s it.”
Captain Hanson opened his mouth at the Duke's gesture.
"Actually, I recently discovered some data in the notebook of the late Captain summarizing the disappearance of women with brown hair and green eyes. She was quite passionate about that work even during her lifetime, but she lost her life suddenly in an unexpected accident... Perhaps the Marquis saw that name in the newspaper, too."
"I don't care what kind of person the commander's subordinate was."
At Eon's sharp, line-drawing reply, Captain Hanson seemed to swallow the name, Karina.
"Th-that is why the data was so reliable..."
"Are you saying that the data pointed to me as the culprit in the missing persons case?"
"It's a shame. But I have clearly realized that it was my fault."
"Is that really all there is to it?"
Eon cut off the captain once again and spat out coldly.
"I suspect that there may have been someone behind the scenes instigating this matter that the Commander intended to simply overlook."
"Th-that cannot be. I am the captain of the Military Police! I merely acted to maintain order in Baynan."
Captain Hanson also froze for a moment, as if realizing what his suddenly louder voice meant. Ignoring the captain's reaction, Eon slowly moved forward.
Step, step.
Everyone held their breath at the sound of his footsteps. It was probably because the sound somehow seemed as if it were rising from the abyss.
"Then why did you accompany them, Author?"
Eon stopped in front of Rudis. He was staring at Rudis with an expression that made it seem like it wouldn't be strange if he strangled him right then and there.
"Tell me yourself. What is the purpose of your visit here today?"
Rudis glanced around at the others. Although they should have been intimidated by Eon's demeanor, their faces looked calm rather than asking for help.
"It can be helped. Since the Master of the Magic Tower is acting this way, I have no choice but to reveal the reason, even if it causes trouble for Captain Hanson and the Duke."
His black hair swayed lightly. At that moment, I felt I could rest assured.
"Actually, while I was talking with the Duke, I happened to learn of Captain Hanson's plan and asked to see the inside of the Magic Tower. It was an unreasonable request, but the Duke showed me great generosity. As you know, even when visiting the Marquis, the only space allowed to visitors is the reception room."
"What are you looking for in the magic tower?
"It was simply out of curiosity. To be more precise, I suppose I should say that I wanted to keep it in mind because I was planning my next project set in a magic tower."
There wasn't a single shred of truth in those words. However, the way he poured them out so fluently, like the plot of a novel, sounded quite plausible. Of course, I wasn't sure if this lie would work on Eon, though.
"Ah. Of course, please rest assured that I had no intention of transplanting the magic tower into the novel exactly as it is. I merely wanted to use the overall atmosphere, structure, and the objects filling it as references. I always want to write a new work that sells better than my previous ones."
Rudis shrugged his shoulders. It was an answer sufficient to make him look like an eccentric novelist who was so immersed in his writing that he was acting without regard for consequences."
"Good grief. I feel bad for Captain Hanson. Sir Rudis is just so full of curiosity. Still, I asked him to stay out of the way while I questioned the maids, worried he might get in the way of the investigation, but look what happened again. As always, I can never quite understand the minds of artists. Haha."
The Duke gave weight to Rudis's words.
"Ahaha, yes. It was because of this writer's reckless wish."
At Rudis's teasing, Eon narrowed his eyes and nodded as if he understood everything.
"Since even the Duke says so, there is no room for doubt. Though belated, welcome to the Magic Tower, Rudis de Pardien. I hope today's experience will be of great help to your work."
"So you already knew the name. Then again, Sir Rudis's works are just so famous."
The Duke laughed cheerfully, believing that everything was resolved. However, that was merely his own delusion. At Eon's final farewell, I exchanged glances with Rudis. Rudis also knew the meaning of the full name Eon had called him.
'Warning.'
Eon knew Rudis's true identity. It was a warning that although he would pretend to fall for the lie for the time being, he knew that the reason he had come lay elsewhere.
***
And so, Captain Hanson left the magic tower without any gains.
'The ones who really gained nothing were Rudis and me.'
The plan fell apart with the appearance of a homunculus, a being never even imagined in our wildest dreams. As a result, it has become awkward to play the powerful card of Duke Razpalin again.
'No, wait, since the little kid came back to life completely, wasn't it a waste of time? I also found out that what was inside the glass tube wasn't a corpse, but a homunculus.''
As I lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling, the unusually bright luminous stone bothered me today. I had used it usefully because it meant I didn't have to smell candle soot or odors, but now it only reminded me of an exhibition room.
I climbed onto the chair, tore off the glow-in-the-dark stone hanging like a chandelier, and threw it under the bed. Then, crouching on the chair, I wrapped myself up in the darkness, using it as a blanket.
'It's strange. Everything feels off.'
This was definitely the world of the novel *The Murderer Targets Brown Hair*. Karina, Rudis, and the Magic Tower Master Eon. The characters were identical, and it was also true that women with brown hair and green eyes were going missing in Baynan, the capital of the Empire.
So, naturally, I assumed that Eon was the culprit behind the disappearances and a murderer, just as in the novel. However, if the people I thought were dead were actually creatures called homunculus, I could not call him a murderer.
The sound of biting nails echoed through the quiet room. Normally, I would have put my hands down the moment I realized the sound, but now I couldn't stop.
'Surely, in the novel, this fact wasn't revealed, and Eon was wrongly framed as a murderer, right? How can there be a novel where the protagonist frames an innocent person and claims the case is solved?'
I was confused. Everything I had believed in until now was turned upside down in an instant. It felt as if the world I knew was not there. I felt like I was floating alone, an alien being.
'What if Eon isn't a murderer, and it was all just my imagination?'
Then what on earth have I done? Why did Karina die, and why did Rudis mobilize people, even selling out the reputation of the Pardien Merchant Guild?
A fishy taste spread in my mouth, and the tip of my thumb stung. At the same time, Tara came to mind.
'Alright, get on. Let's meet that child.'
Tara was definitely caught by Eon on the day she attempted to escape. If she is still alive despite that, she must have seen a different side of Eon.
While I was thinking that, I heard a knock.
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