The suspect is equal to the Goblin, the Goblin is equal to the suspect, therefore the conclusion is: finding the Goblin means finding the suspect.
How could this flawless formula be wrong?
The girl racked her brain but couldn't figure it out, and could only announce dejectedly that this approach was a dead end.
"There are no clues at the scene, and intuition has found nothing... It seems we can only check every household for eyewitness information."
But thinking of her recently deceased grandfather, the Hero regains her spirit.
[The Hero's Inquiry (D Charm)]
[The Nightmare's Hiding]
Now, even though her grandfather was not the Lord here, as his granddaughter, the residents were clearly very cooperative with the Hero's inquiries and searches.
Her grandfather's villa was located in a secluded area, which, while convenient for the crime, also had the opposite effect of making anyone entering there stand out.
The Hero quickly learned from the villagers about the existence of a suspect. (A difference greater than 50, lock successful)
3. village chief grandma
4. Black Gate Sect Follower
8. A wandering bandit
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
After questioning the villagers, the Hero quickly identified the one and only suspect.
Even though the Hero had never met him, the suspect stood out due to the villagers' active reports of his frequent scouting around her grandfather's house and his occasional, sneaky visits there at night.
As they say, nothing remains hidden under the sun unless one has never done it. Especially in this village, though not a small hamlet, the neighbors are quite familiar with each other, and any unusual behavior is easily noticed.
"The murderer is you!" the Hero pointed at the heinous villain in front of everyone's eyes.
"What evidence do you have?!" Having thought his handling of the crime scene was flawless, the suspect was in a panic, never expecting to be suddenly identified as the murderer and shouted defensively.
[The Villain's Sophistry (D Intelligence)]
[The Hero's Reasoning (Special: Lower than 10)]
"If you have no evidence, you can't slander me, even if you are a Noble, the granddaughter of that old man—"
"How do you know I am a Noble? And how do you know I am the granddaughter?"
The Hero suddenly raised her eyebrows.
"Although I have asked many villagers along the way, I have never met you before.
"I have also not been back here for a long time, so you shouldn't recognize me."
"Yes, it's the hair and eye color! Your hair and eye color are similar to that old man—" the suspect quickly retorted in a desperate attempt.
"Hmph, still trying to argue your way out!" the Hero angrily interrupted the villain.
"Grandfather was reclusive and the young people in the village barely saw him. They only knew that a Noble lived there. Moreover, with his age, he had a lot of white hair. You wouldn't know our hair color was similar unless you had seen him up close!
"The only explanation is that you observed closely when you committed the atrocity!"
The crowd immediately burst into discussion, and the suspect was like struck by lightning, stumbling back two steps.
"Furthermore, you are the only one seen wandering near my home. Even if you're not the murderer, you have a duty to cooperate with the investigation. The Church could simply use magic to ask and find out if you're really innocent!"
Hearing this, the villain's face changed dramatically.
"Damn brat!!" Under the pointing fingers of countless people, facing imminent capture, the stranger turned frantic and lunged at the Hero amid the shocked cries of the crowd.
"You dare to resist? Surrender yourself, Villain!" Seeing that the murderer who killed her grandfather still dared to be so brazen, the Hero's fury escalated.
Fueled by rage, it seemed as though some sort of shackles had been suddenly broken; the Hero didn't retreat but advanced, swinging her fist.
[Hero activates Skill: Sacrifice (A criminal's death throes don't work in mystery dramas +30)]
D39+d127+30=d39(32)+d127(98)+30=160
The Hero's punch easily broke through the opponent's lunge, hitting the criminal's face hard.
Ordinarily, the impact could have caused the head to explode like a hammer hitting a watermelon with brains splattering everywhere, but the criminal did not die on the spot. Instead, he spun around in the air about a dozen times before finally landing with a thunderous thud, becoming Silent.
[Hero deals 160-21=139 damage to Nightmare]
[Nightmare takes 139-6=133 damage, HP1/63]
"I won't kill you, though I don't know your motives. But after you've confessed everything, wait for your final Judgement in jail."
The Hero looked at the unconscious criminal somewhat sorrowfully.
Her grandfather lived a reclusive life without conflict, yet this person murdered him in such a cruel manner. There must be some reason behind it, unlikely to be mere hatred; the murderer might even be someone else's pawn.
If it was indeed a spontaneous act of the individual, then the guillotine was inevitable, but if there was a conspiracy—
"Grandfather, rest assured, no matter how deep the darkness behind this is, I will never let them off!"
In her grandfather's name, she would bring all the criminals to Justice!
The surrounding villagers looked on with both awe and admiration at the intelligent and brave young female detective, offering their blessings to her in their hearts—
[Nightmare's Remnants (70+ contains forbidden, 100+ meets the standard)]
D100+31=d100(7)+31=38
The features of the murderer who is a stranger blurred; the surrounding onlookers were shrouded in shadows.
Then the dream drew its curtain, and the surroundings gradually returned to the quiet darkness.
The Hero blinked her eyes as if she had just woken up from a big dream, and then her cheeks began to redden.
"...Why would I have such a strange dream?"
Within the intangible darkness, the Hero felt a wave of heat lingering on her face.
"Anyway, I should first complete the Agreement with Mr. Hunting Knowledge..."
The Hero remembered, her recent dream was not merely a dream.
After she had agreed to Great Hunter's request for a deal, he had cast the Advanced Magic "Dream Quest" on her.
This Magic not only allowed a person to remain conscious in a dream for a certain period but also turned a simple dream into a bridge to the Dreamrealm.
However, this conscious effect can sometimes be overridden by other Statuses.
It's a rather questionable piece of Magic, less popular in the Mage Guild than the common Intermediate Magic "Dreamstate".
In a pure Dreamstate, the master of the dream can control everything, doing as they please.
However, in a Dream Quest, if the master of the dream is impolite, they might even get beaten up by residents in their own dream.
For dreams affected by Dream Quest becomes out of the dream master's control.
The dream itself has already connected to the vast subconscious world, becoming more 'real' while also implying that this is no longer just a personal dream.
She took a step forward, and the thought of moving forward transformed into some conceptual force. Just one step seemed to break through an invisible barrier, shattering the silence and darkness, as colors of Chaos and a low murmur assailed her.
This is the ocean of the subconscious, as well as the realm of dreams, it is the path to the depths of everyone's heart and also the void between consciousnesses.
[Images of the Dream]
9. Reality Projection
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure♛
Critical Success indicates a favorable environment, Extreme Failure indicates adverse conditions