The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

Page 168

So, they were trying to use Professor Agasa's wisdom to solve something!

Now, Conan was even more curious about the details of the request.

However, he didn't press further. After all, if what Aragaki Yu said was true, given the previous behavior of the family's owner, he would soon find out about these things himself.

"Oh, by the way, Ai, how did you end up here?" Yuu Aragaki asked curiously as he looked at Ai who had returned to his side.

"Um..." Upon hearing Aragaki Yu's words, Haibara Ai suddenly paused, feeling rather embarrassed to answer the question.

However, after glancing at Professor Agasa, who was walking at the front and showed no remorse whatsoever, he finally replied irritably, "Camping, got lost."

Aragaki Yu: "..."

Although it was only four short words, Aragaki Yu understood everything completely.

He had some doubts at this moment, wondering how many people in the original series were killed because the Grim Reaper Corps got lost.

"Wow, there are horses here!"

Just then, Ayumi suddenly noticed the statues on the lawn and ran to a white statue with a look of surprise and hugged it.

"Really!" Genta excitedly ran onto the lawn. "There are black ones here too!"

Mitsuhiko quickly caught up with the two, but as he looked at the statues in front of him, while excited, he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled: "But why are these horse statues only up to the neck?"

The group of people, including Aragaki Yu, who were lagging behind, were also drawn over by their voices.

Looking at the scene before him, Yuu Aragaki said he could understand why normal children like Ayumi and others liked the statue.

You know, his shikigami, Yuki-onna and Hotaru, are still reluctant to leave and are playing around on those statues.

I wonder what Ayumi and the others would think if they knew that there were many unseen things staring at them from the statue they were hugging...

Seeing the puzzled looks on Ayumi and the others' faces, Ai Haibara glanced at the lawn and immediately understood everything. She then explained to them, "These horses are called knights, and they're chess pieces!"

"Chess pieces?" Ayumi looked puzzled as she held the white knight chess piece statue.

“There aren’t just chess pieces here.” Conan, finally snapping out of his reverie, walked up to the group and said, “Look at yourselves, even the grass underneath is laid out like a chessboard.”

"Wow!" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta were clearly shocked by the huge chessboard-shaped lawn.

"Does anyone here like chess?" Professor Agasa asked Katsuo Tabata, who was standing next to him, with some curiosity.

"I don't know." Katsuo Tabata's answer surprised everyone. "I just follow the instructions of my former master, Mr. Teiaki, to do a little trimming every day to maintain the style of this place."

"Oh, I see." Professor Agasa looked at the lawn in front of him. Although he didn't quite understand why this was done, he didn't ask any more questions.

Katsuo Tabata then took the initiative to speak, saying, "It is said that this was the last wish left by the master when he died fifteen years ago, and Master Teisho never disobeyed it."

Chapter 210 Treasure

"You mean the old master from the past? Then who was that just now?" Professor Agasa looked at Katsuo Tabata with a puzzled expression.

“He was my wife’s second husband, Master Man, because Master Zhenzhao died of illness six years ago.” Katsuo Tabata didn’t shy away from the topic because of the presence of outsiders. “And our wife also perished in the fire four years ago…”

Dr. Agasa noticed the desolation in Katsuo Tabata's tone when she mentioned the fire: "What fire?"

Conan then looked at Katsuo Tabata with great interest, anticipating his explanation.

“That’s it!” Katsuo Tabata pointed to the dark tower not far away and said, “There’s a charred stone tower there. That place was Madam’s bedroom. That year, Madam came back from abroad to celebrate the First Madam’s birthday. She rushed here in the middle of the night, but before dawn, the stone tower caught fire.”

Katsuo Tabata's voice was filled with grief and lingering fear: "Of course, it wasn't just the Madam. The friends she brought back from abroad, as well as the steward and servants who had always served the Madam, more than a dozen people, all perished in that fire."

"..."

And so, while showing everyone around the manor, Katsuo Tabata described to Professor Agasa and the others the events related to the fire that occurred four years ago, as well as the interpersonal relationships within the villa today.

After leading everyone through the villa's gate, Tian Yansheng pointed to a portrait hanging on the wall and introduced, "This is the eldest master. The Zhenzhao master, who married into the family, greatly respected the eldest master, who was also a historian like him. However, the madam didn't think so at all and used to often complain about the injustice done to the Zhenzhao master..."

"She often said, 'Dad is just an intellectual who spouts nonsense,' right?"

Suddenly, Masahiro Mamiya, sitting in a wheelchair, appeared behind everyone.

"Ah, First... First Madam!" Katsuo Tabata was clearly startled and quickly turned around to greet the First Madam.

"Actually, the child's father had heard about this before. But instead of getting angry, he was quite happy to hear it!" Masaki Masaki's tone was full of nostalgia for the past.

"I'm so sorry!" Tian Yansheng apologized to Mamiya Masakiyo with embarrassment. "I shouldn't have reminded the First Madam of these past events."

“You don’t need to be too nervous,” Masaki Mamiya said, glancing up at Katsuo Tabata before looking at the portrait on the wall and reminiscing. “I’ve long since gotten used to life without him here. It’s like the design on banknotes or the size of passports changing. At first, it’s a bit unusual, but after a while, it doesn’t seem strange anymore. Time is a terrible thing; all joys and sorrows will pass with it…”

Aragaki Yu glanced at Mamiya Masaki with some surprise.

He was a little puzzled. Didn't this guy know the saying that the more he said, the more mistakes he made?

What's more, he insisted on bringing up something that would easily expose his true colors in front of Conan.

For some reason, in the world of Detective Conan, these guys who originally seemed to have pretty high IQs all seem to lose their intelligence after meeting Conan.

Masaki Masuyo naturally noticed Aragaki Yu's gaze, but she didn't pay it any mind.

He's just a friend of that idiot Mamiya Noble, nothing serious.

Masakiyo Mamiya then remembered to ask about the identities of Professor Agasa and the others: "By the way, who are these people?"

“They are the master’s friends,” Tayan Katsuo hurriedly introduced to Mamiya Masakiyo. “I heard he is also a scientist.”

"A scientist?" Upon hearing this, Masaki Mamiya unconsciously opened her squinted eyes.

She gave Professor Agasa a meaningful look, then smiled and said, "That's wonderful! I'd like to ask you to help us solve this mystery and see what secrets he has buried in this castle!"

"A mystery!?" Professor Agasa was suddenly taken aback.

Conan and Ai Haibara immediately looked at Yuu Aragaki, who was standing to the side, and remembered the request he had just mentioned.

With Masaki Mamiya nodding in agreement, Katsuo Tabata explained, "I heard that when the old master was dying, he said something like this: whoever can solve the mystery of this castle will receive his most precious treasure."

"Ah, a treasure?" Professor Agasa was somewhat surprised.

Because of Masaki Masuyo's appearance, Genta and the others, who had been hiding behind Professor Agasa and Yuu Aragaki, jumped up excitedly upon hearing the word "treasure".

Only Aragaki Yu noticed that when the first wife, sitting in her wheelchair, mentioned the word "treasure," a kind of greed flickered in her eyes.

Aragaki Yu, who vaguely remembered what treasures were hidden in the castle, glanced at the hunched and aged First Lady in her wheelchair, shook his head slightly, and sighed imperceptibly.

Ai Haibara, who was standing nearby, witnessed this scene. Looking at Yuu Aragaki, who seemed somewhat melancholy, she couldn't help but tug at his sleeve and whispered, "What's wrong? Is something the problem?"

When Ai Haibara asked him that, Yuu Aragaki looked at her with some surprise.

Unaware that Ai Haibara had been focusing her attention on him the whole time, he silently marveled at how sharp the girl's observational skills were.

Taking advantage of Ai Haibara's inattention, he patted her head, who was staring at him, and ruffled her soft brown hair before saying, "It's nothing, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental thinking about how this might be a very interesting treasure hunt."

"Treasure Hunt!"

Upon hearing Aragaki Yu's words, Genta and the others behind him became even more excited, gesturing wildly as they surrounded Aragaki Yu and began discussing the matter.

Mitsuhiko seemed very confident: "Finding treasure is no problem for the Junior Detective Club!"

Ayumi ran over and grabbed Aragaki Yu's hand, confidently assuring him, "That's right, that's right! Big brother Aragaki, don't worry, we're here, we'll definitely help you find the treasure!"

Meanwhile, Genta was lost in endless daydreams, a glistening trail of drool glistening at the corner of his mouth as he muttered to himself, "What could the treasure be? Hehehe, it's not some kind of eel rice bowl that I could eat for a lifetime, is it? How wonderful..."

"Please..." Conan, who was not far away, watched Masaki Mamiya push her wheelchair away. When he turned around and saw his companion's whimsical look, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He sighed helplessly, "These guys, are they all idiots?! Eel rice, what? Don't they realize it's been so long, how could it possibly be something like this..."

Chapter 211 Demon Blade Princess, are you a Transformation Moon...?

Ignoring his three seemingly unreliable friends, Conan quietly moved closer to Aragaki Yu and whispered, "Aragaki-nii, is the request you received also related to this treasure?"

Yuu Aragaki nodded and replied, "Probably!"

Conan: "..."

Hehe, what do you mean by "probably"...

What is this? Is it just a perfunctory response?

So angry!

Looking at Aragaki Yu, who seemed to be responding to him in a serious manner, he felt speechless and had an urge to just turn around and leave.

However, at this moment, Conan was more curious about whether Aragaki Yu, who had arrived earlier than him, had found any valuable clues.

Therefore, he persisted and asked the question that concerned him most: "Brother Aragaki, have you found any clues related to the mystery?"

Yuu Aragaki shook his head: "No, I'm not interested in the treasures here."

Conan: "..."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Most people would be more or less interested in treasures.

"Wait a minute, if he's not interested in the treasure, then what kind of request did he receive?" Conan stroked his chin, suddenly becoming suspicious.

Is there anything special in this manor besides treasures?

Speaking of which, Conan suddenly thought of the conspicuous charred tower in the manor, and the chess pieces on the lawn in the yard.

"chess……!?"

Conan seemed to have thought of something.

So he eagerly grabbed the hem of Aragaki Yu's clothes and asked, "Aragaki-nii, do you know if there's a room where you can clearly see the chess pieces in the yard? Those pieces might..."