"Damn it! It failed?" In the Kingdom of Vespania, Upon hearing the news that the poisoning had failed, Gerard Musca Vespaland let out a disp
"Damn it! It failed?"
In the Kingdom of Vespania,
Upon hearing the news that the poisoning had failed, Gerard Musca Vespaland let out a displeased snort.
As the Duke of Vespania—and the late Queen's younger brother—Gerard not only orchestrated the attempt to poison Princess Mira during the banquet, but he also sent assassins to finish the job in secret.
The reason? To seize the throne, of course.
After orchestrating a "hunting accident" that killed both the Queen and the Prince, all that remained was to eliminate Princess Mira. Then the crown would naturally fall to him.
With that, he could use Vespania's mineral resources to forge a greater future.
Excited by that thought, Gerard's blood boiled as he dialed a number with a cold, determined expression.
"Hello? Your organization has quite a solid network in Japan, doesn't it?"
"If that's the case, how about strengthening our cooperation? Kill that girl for me, and I'll lower the price of the minerals you're after."
"Hmph..."
"I heard you recently used our minerals as a coating for your armored helicopter. I flew it right over Tokyo Tower like it was nothing. And their air defense system didn't even blink."
"Of course."
"We'll make a fine team."
"I'll be waiting for good news from you, then."
As he hung up the phone, Gerard's lips curled into a cruel smile.
Yes—this is it.
Vespania's ore was enough to drive the entire world mad with desire.
Just imagine—if this material were used on intercontinental missiles, it could create weapons undetectable to any radar, impossible to intercept. Every nation on Earth would scramble to strike deals with the Kingdom of Vespania.
Yet his foolish sister, even after discovering this hidden treasure, had the nerve to say:
"If we focus only on mining, Vespania's natural environment will be destroyed.
*In pursuit of profit, we will lose something irreplaceable.
Those who exploit the Earth's resources without restraint will be abandoned by the Earth in the end."
Did she even understand how narrow-minded that was?
Could she not see the value this nation held now!?
Unable to bear such naive thinking, Gerard finally decided to take matters into his own hands.
A king without ambition has no right to rule.
How foolish...
If only she'd listened to him, none of this would've been necessary.
Earlier that day...
In the upper suite of the Sakura Grand Hotel, Hayashi Yoshiki sat with Ran under the watchful eyes of a bodyguard.
Scratch, scratch...
He scribbled steadily in his notebook with a fountain pen. Once he finished jotting down what he needed, he quietly closed it.
The day he killed Ireland, when he said he was truly grateful to Pisco—he hadn't been lying.
As one of the original members of the Organization, Pisco had provided the real names of certain winery agents, which helped Yoshiki greatly.
"What are you writing, Yoshiki-nii?"
"Just some ideas for my new story. Want to take a look?"
"Sure!"
Yoshiki smiled and handed her the notebook—having, of course, secretly removed a specific page beforehand.
He did genuinely keep notes related to Kindaichi as part of his cover, after all.
Ran flipped through the pages casually.
Inside were records of Yoshiki's struggles with naming characters, including gems like "Mouri Daishirou" and "Mouri Kosaburou."
She couldn't help but chuckle.
Yoshiki remained perfectly composed.
After a while, Ran felt a bit awkward continuing and gently closed the notebook.
"Thank you, Yoshiki-nii... I guess I was being too selfish."
"Not at all. Being kind and empathetic is part of who you are, Ran. I'm actually glad you've stayed that way."
He sipped his tea as he spoke, and Ran blushed.
Out of compassion for the princess, she had asked to help.
And after some negotiation with Keith, Yoshiki had agreed—as long as he could stay by her side.
Ran looked down at her legs, secretly pleased.
"I'll say it again—this princess looks really suits you, Ran."
"...It only works because I'm dressed like this. Unlike you, Yoshiki-nii."
She mumbled shyly, red-faced.
"You already look like a prince, even when you're not trying."
"I don't think I'm that flashy, am I?"
"I don't mean your clothes..."
"So why have you been training karate so hard lately?"
"No real reason... I just..."
She looked down bashfully, unable to finish.
Yoshiki chuckled softly.
Checking the time, he turned to the dutiful guard by the door.
"Excuse me, sir. Could we have a moment alone? Just 20 seconds will do."
After a brief pause, the guard nodded and stepped out.
Ran instantly realized what Yoshiki intended to do.
"Sorry... you just look too cute right now, and I might not be able to hold back."
Her heart pounded as he stepped closer.
Before she could speak, he whispered:
"We only have 20 seconds."
Her voice was swallowed by surprise.
Yoshiki leaned in and kissed her.
Soft lips, like jelly—
Lightly scented with tea.
Ran gently closed her eyes and held her breath, long lashes trembling slightly.
She was clearly nervous...
Yoshiki caressed her back, trying to help her relax.
Twenty seconds passed quickly, but she was already breathless.
As he pulled away, he regretted not asking for more time.
Knock knock.
A sudden knock broke the spell.
Ran flinched a little, catching her breath.
The guard returned, expressionless despite noticing how close they were.
He stood silently like a wall.
Yoshiki smiled at her.
"Let's have your dad come in and keep you company next."
"You're leaving?"
"Just for a while. I'll be back soon."
"...Okay."
Ran smiled, her lips still moist and shining.
Yoshiki stepped out.
He needed to verify whether the instructions in the Death Note had been executed.
If the person just died of a heart attack, things could get complicated—he had to make sure someone handled the follow-up.
As he exited the room, he called Seiran Hoshi.