Kuroshitsuji 40

Pg.01

Kuroshitsuji
[How It Happened]
Chapter 40: That Butler, Accommodates.
Toboso Yana

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[An important announcement in the next issue!]
[The curtains rise on a new "Kuroshitsuji"!!]
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Pg.02

[What does Sebastian make of Georg's mysterious death?]
- H...
- He's dead...!

- Why?!

- Impossible...

Pg.03

- What was that just now?! // Woah!!

- D-Did this person die?!
- Yes...

- The wound in his chest is probably the cause.
- Though I can't be sure in this dim lighting.
- (Hey,) is it just me, or is this room hot?
- I would say it is.

- This room was already heated,
- but it seems that it wasn't warm enough.

- What's all this commotion about?
- Young Master.

Pg.04

- Lord Siemens...!

- A...
- Anyway, we shouldn't move anything until the yards arrive.
- No, // we need to move the body immediately.
- Eh?

- Hate to put it this way, but the substance of meat is a lot more delicate than you'd think.
- Even if we extinguish the fire, the heat'll damage the body before you know it.

Pg.05

- D-Damage...?
SFX: wobble
- Irene!

- It's just as he says.
- I think it's better we keep the body refrigerated until the investigators come.

- Then let us move the body to the underground cell until the yards arrive.
(Yes!)
- Finny, the stretcher.

- I doubt the yards will be here anytime soon though.

- Not in this storm.
SFX: rain

Pg.06

- Does that mean we're stuck in here too?!
- It's a little late to say that now.

- Besides, there's no problem, is there? You intended to stay overnight, after all.
(snap)
- There is indeed a problem! I'm not staying in this murder house-

- Yes.
- This place is like a deserted island.

- Which also means that there's a good chance the murderer is still in this mansion.

SFX: whispering
- Rather-

Pg.07

- If you think about it logically, wouldn't the culprit be amongst us?

- Wha...

Pg.08

- Why us?! You're out of your mind!
SFX: rage
- (H-) He's right!

- And most of us have never even met each other before this.
- Ah!!

- Dias-sama?

- When we came before this door, wasn't it locked?
- Yes, you're right. It was.

- Then wouldn't that mean that someone entered through the window, locked the door in order to buy time to escape, and then went back out the window?

Pg.09

- But if they came through the window, wouldn't they have left footprints? // Not to mention that this is the second floor.
SFX: clack x2
- It's even locked.

- Then the only other explanation would be that they locked the doors from the outside and escaped.
- That is impossible.

- All the doors still have the ward locks from when this mansion was first built. // The locks are very complicated, and therefore can only be reproduced by a skilled craftsman.
- Those keys are stored in a safe, secured by a second key that has no brother, and which I, the butler, keep in my possession.

Pg.10

- And apart from the ward lock that can easily be opened from the inside, there is another latch.

- Without the key, the only way to unlock this door is from the inside only.
- In other words,

- this is a locked-room murder.

Pg.11

- What nonsense! This isn't some sort of mystery novel!
- Indeed.

- If an artless locked-room murder case such as this were announced to the public, there's no doubt we would get many complaints.
SFX: yawn...

- What?

- Don't you agree, Doctor?
- Eh...
- Ah!!

- Certainly... If they had used those items, it might be possible...
- What do you mean?
- Needle and thread.

Pg.12

- Needle...
- and thread?

- As Sebastian said, this door can only be unlocked from the inside, but with the use of a needle and thread, it would be an easy feat.
- It would be like this:

- First, you would take the threaded needle and stick it into the door so that the latch is fixed in place.

- Then, you would pull the thread underneath the door and close it from the outside.

- All that's left would be to carefully pull the thread so it doesn't snap, and remove the needle from the door.

Pg.13

- The latch would fall and the door would be lock!

- And once you collected the thread and needle entirely, you would eliminate all evidence. // Getting rid of a needle and thread would be quite easy.

- It's a boring trick that has been overused in mystery novels.
- However, the culprit isn't trying to write a mystery novel. Covering one's tracks in reality is hardly puzzling.

- That does explain the locked-room murder, but...
- that also means that anyone could have committed the murder, doesn't it?

Pg.14

- We've got nothing to do with this! It has to be someone else!!
- Count me out as well!!

- Besides, wouldn't you be the most suspicious amongst us?! // You were quarreling with Lord Siemens at dinner!

- Stop falsely accusing people!
- I would never kill anyone over something like that!!

- You're the one who-
- Now, now, you two.
- Calm yourselves. Let us review everyone's alibis first.

- Lord Siemens was murdered after returning to this room. // And if we narrow it down even further, it would be between the time he rang the bell, to when the butler arrived before the door.
- Those that have alibis during that time span should be innocent.

Pg.15

- Irene and I were in the billiard room.
- Yes.

- I was there too.

- So was I, and Phelps too.
SFX: Nn...

- We were all in the billiard room from when Lord Siemens retreated to his room, to when the we heard the commotion in this room.
- No one left their places either.

- What were you lot doing?
- Hm?

- We were having a drink in the lounge with Sir Woodley.
- Isn't that right, Ran Mao?

Pg.16

- Ah yes, we were together until the commotion began.

- As I recall, it was a little past midnight that we ran out of drinks and had the butler retrieve some more.
- Yes, I returned at 10 minutes past 12.

- W-We servants were busy cleaning up!

- None of us even knew what room Lord Siemens was staying in!
- It would take a great amount of time just finding the right room!!

- Which means...

Pg.17

- Pardon me, Earl, but what were you doing at the time?
- ...!

Pg.18

- It's true that I may be the only one without an alibi, but I have no reason to kill Lord Siemens.
- Eh~? Are you sure?

- ....What?

- He's right. You may very well have a reason.

- Reasons for murder are usually things that one would never even imagine.
- Human psychology is something that still remains a mystery to this day, no matter how a brilliant scientist may study it.

Pg.19

- Didn't your company have a branch in Germany? // You might have had a disagreement with him, as he was an official who worked in a government bank in that country.
- Though it is something we would have no way of finding out.

- Are you insinuating that we have some unlawful debt?
- That's ridiculous!

- It's not unfathomable. // After all, this is the generation where a large company can disappear overnight.
- W-

- Wait, please! I don't know all the complicated details,
- but // there's no way that the young master would ever do something like-
- Finny!

Pg.20

- That's enough. // Be silent.

- I'd like some insurance.
- Insurance?

- Insurance that we'll be able to get out of here alive.

- What... // do you mean by that?

- This mansion is under the control of a murderer,
- and until the storm subdues, we're stuck here.

Pg.21

SFX: flash
- What if he decides to silence us before the storm is over?

SFX: frantic whispers
- Then, how about this?

- How about we confine him?
SFX: Okay?
- Confine him!

- Confine him?!
- Young Master?!
- It's scary, after all.

- If that will satisfy you, have it your way.

Pg.22

- If we do confine him, it can't be his room.
- There are always hidden passageways built into the rooms of Noblemen. (I've got one at my house too.)

- Then why don't the servants and I watch over him?
- That won't work either.

- You might help the Earl escape.

- Then the best method would be to have someone stay overnight and watch over him.
- I won't do it! I could never leave Irene alone!!

Pg.23

- N-Neither will I!!
SFX: nod x2
(Scary...)
- I would rather not either.

- Neither would I, but someone has to.

[Looking at the situation, he's the only possible suspect here... but...]
[would he really have committed such an act, knowing that he would be the only one without an alibi? Somehow, I doubt he would be so careless.]

[If he were the culprit,]
[would he have explained the cheap trick when it would only put him at a disadvantage?]

- So that just leaves...
(Hm...)

Pg.24

- you, Doctor!
SFX: clap
- Wh- // Ehh?!

- Make sure you guard him well so that he doesn't escape.
- Wh... Why me??

- That's right. // I've got something useful in my carriage.

- You there, will you retrieve it for me?

- Then it's time we call it a night.
- Sebastian,

- show the guests to their rooms.
- Understood.

- Now then, I will show you to your rooms. // Please follow me.

Pg.25

SFX: rain...
[Who would have thought...]
- Honestly. // What a troublesome turn of events.
[...that it would turn out this way?]
- Indeed.
SFX: rattle

Pg.26

[I use these when I capture terrorists during work.]
(I'm the Queen's secretary officer after all~)
[The chain is long, so he won't be able to escape if you pass it underneath the bed.]

- Ha...

- By the way, Sir Phelps' was originally set to stay in the room next the room in question, but he rather adamantly refused.
SFX: Not there!!!
- I would imagine so.

- The only other room I could prepare immediately was Young Master's room, so I led him there. // Please forgive me.
SFX: stretch
SFX: gloom
- I don't mind.

Pg.27

- It'll be chilly tonight. // Make sure the coal doesn't run out in each of the rooms.
SFX: flop

- Provide the best service for my guests, even without me.

- Yes, My Lord.

- I will take my leave now.

SFX: clank

Pg.28

- Shall we get some rest then, Doctor?
SFX: creak
- (Y-) Yes!

- I bid you good night.

SFX: blow

SFX: click...

- Doctor?
- ...Yes?

Pg.29

- I apologize for dragging you into this.

- I'm sure it must be difficult to sleep, being next to a murderer.
- N-No...

- Er...

- Earl, do you keep your eye patch on even while you sleep?
- Huh? // Ah, yes.

- It might not be any of my business, but I do recommend that you allow your eye some air.
SFX: creak
- That way, it will heal faster-
SFX: reach

SFX: shove

Pg. 30

- Ah...

- This injury is...

- one that I received when I lost my family.
- I don't wish to see it.

- I had no idea! I'm sorry!!
SFX; sit up
- No offense taken...

SFX: chuckle

- I wonder how long it's been
SFX: flop
- since I last slept beside someone.

Pg.31

- The last time I can recall was when I was little.

- I would climb into bed with my parents because I was afraid of the lightning during storms.

SFX: rattle

- Now, there's no one...

Pg.32

SFX: touch

- Doctor?
SFX: startle

- I-I-I-I-I'm sorry!!
SFX; flail
- I-I-I-I-It's just that I'm one of 10 siblings, and I've got a younger brother around your age!!

Pg.33

- A younger brother...?
- It's not that I'm pitying your or anything...
SFX: chuckle

- (snicker) Let's go to sleep, Doctor.
SFX: fwump
- Ah! (Yes...)

- Good night.

- Good night...

SFX: rain...

Pg.34

[Is it really possible]
[for a small child like him to commit murder?]

[Is it?]

SFX: clack x2
SFX: rain...

SFX: clack

SFX: clack x2

- Now then...

Pg.35

- "Make sure the coal doesn't run out in each of the rooms," was it?

SFX: thunk x2

- As I thought...

Pg.36

[There will be a colored spread in the next edition!!]
- This is-
SFX: thud