Chapter 112: The Case in the Opera Epiclese
Watching Conan Edogawa's slightly frantic expression, the children exchanged a quick glance before Moroboshi stepped forward to explain.
"I've heard that trials are considered a major public event in Fontaine," he began, his voice calm and measured. "Under the influence of the Hydro Archon, Lady Furina, they've evolved into a form of grand theater. Reality and illusion, farce and tragedy—everyone performs as equals in court, just like actors on a stage. That's why the venue for trials here is the Opera Epiclese."
Mitsuhiko chimed in, "That's right! In Fontaine, court trials are a kind of performance that people enjoy as part of their daily lives."
"And I heard that when there are no trials, the Opera House puts on normal shows for everyone," Genta added, his eyes wide with excitement. "It looks like there's a magic show tomorrow. I wonder if we can make it in time. We could see how it stacks up against the one Natsume took us to before!"
"Let's go, Conan," Natsume said, nudging the boy gently. "Don't get so hung up on it. Just treat all of this as part of the game's setting."
"I guess that's all I can do," Conan sighed. He still couldn't wrap his head around why the people of this world treated something as serious as a trial with the detached attitude of a spectator, but he had no way of changing their views. Besides, Natsume was right. This was just a game; he shouldn't get bogged down in the philosophical details.
As it turned out, the group had barely taken two steps toward the Opera Epiclese when the bright sky abruptly plunged into darkness.
Time itself seemed to warp, accelerating at an impossible rate. The world was swallowed by the dead of night, a pitch-black void that left everything unnervingly silent. Just as a prickle of fear began to creep into the children's hearts, worrying that the game had glitched, the sun rose again. But the temporal distortion hadn't stopped. The sun blazed a frantic arc across the sky, streaking from east to west in a matter of moments. It was unmistakably the afternoon of the next day.
Everyone stared blankly at the sky, only snapping back to reality when the sun finally settled into a normal position.
"...It's already the next day, just like that?" Mouri Ran murmured, bewildered.
"It would seem so," Haibara said, her expression analytical. "The game probably isn't going to make us stay for the full three days. After all, our real bodies outside couldn't last that long without food or water."
Conan nodded in agreement. "Since time accelerated to this point, it must mean something related to the game's mission has just happened."
Genta's gaze fell on the grand structure in the distance. "So, are we still going to that Opera Epiclese?"
"Of course," Moroboshi replied, his eyes sharp. "Whatever happens next is definitely connected to that Opera House. Didn't Genta say earlier that tomorrow—no, it should be today now—there's a magic show? I suspect that show is directly related to the case we're investigating."
With a consensus reached, the group continued their walk toward the Opera Epiclese.
Just as they arrived at the magnificent entrance, before they could even step inside, they noticed the building was in an uproar. A cacophony of panicked shouts and the urgent stomping of boots echoed from within. The air was thick with tension; a case had clearly occurred.
The moment the word "case" registered, Conan's detective instincts took over. He shot forward like a bullet.
"Conan!" Natsume called out, but it was too late. Unable to rein in the pint-sized detective, she sighed. With a shared look of resignation, the rest of them had no choice but to follow him in.
They quickly made their way inside the grand hall. Sure enough, Natsume saw Conan stopped cold at the courtroom door, his path blocked by uniformed guards.
There was no Inspector Megure here, no familiar police officers who knew Kogoro Mouri. No one would recognize the little boy and turn a blind eye, allowing him to slip onto the crime scene.
Watching Conan practically vibrate with the need to get past the guards, only to be stonewalled, Natsume felt a secret, guilty pleasure. Back in their world, the police might as well have been blind, never noticing the child running circles around their active investigations. It was a rare and rather amusing sight to see him barred from a crime scene.
Natsume quickly composed her expression, making sure her amusement didn't show, and walked up to one of the Gardes to negotiate.
She introduced their group, explaining that they were guests invited by the Hydro Archon, Lady Furina, to solve the recent string of disappearances. She informed the guard that they were scheduled for a courtroom showdown with Lady Furina herself in three days. Since the incident that just occurred was likely connected to the Serial Disappearances Case, they needed to enter and investigate.
Hearing Natsume's words, Conan immediately understood her angle. While they didn't know the exact details of what had happened, the timing was too perfect. A case occurring the moment they arrived had to be a clue for clearing the game, and therefore must be related to their primary mission. Natsume wasn't exactly lying.
True enough, after the Garde consulted with his superior, he stepped aside and allowed them to pass.
According to a briefing from the Gardes inside, they learned that the performer at the Opera Epiclese today was a famous magician from Fontaine.
The incident occurred while the magician was performing his "Magic Box" trick. In a disastrous turn of events, the prop water tank from his previous "Water Tank Escape" act had suddenly fallen, smashing into the box at the center of the stage. Inside that box was a "lucky audience member" who had been chosen to participate.
"Why does this sound a bit like that 'Magic Box' performance by Lyney and Lynette we saw before?" Conan muttered to himself. "Then again, I guess there are only so many types of magic tricks."
After the accident, everyone assumed the audience member had been crushed to death. But when they cleared the wreckage, they didn't find the volunteer inside. Instead, they discovered the corpse of the magician's assistant.
A subsequent check of all staff and audience members revealed no sign of the chosen volunteer, leading to the preliminary judgment that the "lucky audience member" had vanished. All these signs matched the distinct characteristics of the Serial Disappearances Case. Lady Furina, who had been watching the performance, immediately accused the magician of being the culprit.
And where there is an accusation, there must be a trial. Neuvillette, who was also present, was aware of the agreement between the Hydro Archon and the travelers from another world. He therefore announced that this trial would also be held in the Opera House in three days' time.
After hearing the sequence of events, the group walked onto the stage.
Looking at the large puddle of water spreading across the floorboards, they were all lost in thought.
Mitsuhiko was the first to speak. "Conan, do you think the missing audience member was dissolved by the water that fell?"
"I'm not sure yet," Conan replied, his brow furrowed. "This time is different from before. There's an extra victim, for one. And this water... it shouldn't be the problem."
He reasoned that if the water was dangerous, with so many people moving back and forth across the stage, someone would have surely touched it by now. If there was a problem, it would have been discovered. Since no one had raised an alarm about people dissolving, the water itself was likely harmless. also, the assistant was a Fontainian. While he wasn't one of the young women targeted in the serial case, his body hadn't disappeared, which was another point against the water being the cause.
"Oh my, when the Gardes were talking earlier, I had a feeling it was you they were letting in. And it really is you guys."
Hearing the familiar, theatrical voice, everyone turned. Sure enough, standing there with a dramatic flair was Focalors—the Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]