Omake-sama's Deduction (Hopeless)

Now then, it is the day after the roof board incident.

The rain that started last night is still pounding down on the mansion's roof.

Since it's certain that Sara-chan can't go outside to play in this weather, she's a little grumpy.

Well, given what happened yesterday, I wouldn't do anything to let her go outside anyway. Even if it were sunny.

And so.

As for what I'm doing right now, I am watching over Sara-chan from behind while she studies.

Normally, at this time of day, I'd be going around cleaning the mansion with Maid-senpai, but since that incident happened just yesterday, of course.

The baron secretly gave me instructions to stay close to Sara-chan as a guard, just in case.

Which means, regarding yesterday's roof board drop.

The baron has also realized the possibility that the culprit is an insider.

Otherwise, he wouldn't think to assign a guard inside the mansion, which is supposed to be protected from outsiders by the barrier.

That forced smile he showed last night might have been to hide the heartache of having to suspect his own people.

“......Now then, let's review yesterday's lesson, Sara. Where is the Zakzak Mine, which boasts the highest magic ore production in our country?”

“U, um...... Marumoke County......?”

“......Incorrect. It is the Deswaar Duchy. You see, the eldest daughter of the Deswaar Duchy, Ijiwaar-sama, is the same age as you...... she will be your schoolmate. If you were to meet her and say, ‘I don't know anything about the ducal house!’, that would be rude, wouldn't it? So let's learn it properly, all right?”

Sara-chan is currently struggling with her geography studies while being taught by Madam.

......She's only been told that yesterday's roof board incident was a simple accident.

That's the baron being considerate; it would be cruel to scare her.

Thing is, this bundle-of-energy baron's daughter.

The rain will cover for it today, but nobody can keep her pinned down forever with ‘you mustn't go outside’.

Probably, in a few days, she'll reach her limit and go wild.

Specifically, she'll sneak out to play while the adults aren't looking.

Because she's an idiot.

<That is exactly why we must quickly find and detain the perpetrator of the roof board incident!>

......Omake-sama, why are you a bit excited?

<A young lady and a fine lady, their lives in danger! The culprit is someone in the household who's supposed to be close to them! Love and hate, tangled behind smiles......! I've seen this exact kind of situation on the Detective God's Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast!>

Ah, so the situation feels like a mystery story, and she's starting to enjoy it.

Honestly, as someone who's ended up part of the household, short-term employment or not, I don't have the slightest room to enjoy that!

But I do agree that we have to catch the culprit quickly.

<Yes! That is why I have been deducing since last night! As to who on earth the culprit is......!>

Hoh.

So, Omake-sama, you have a suspect in mind?

<No, unfortunately...... There are people I suspect, but I have no evidence. Still, since you're guarding them, Emi, I think it wouldn't hurt to go over what we know about the people in the mansion once more......>

Yeah, I get it, Omake-sama.

In that case, why don't you let me hear your deduction show?

While I continue to stay alert, of course!

◇ ◇ ◇

<First, there are two people who can probably be removed from the list of suspects without any problem. Sara Salar, the baron's daughter, and Baroness Emma Salar.>

Yeah, both the carriage ambush and the roof board incident were probably carried out targeting those two.

Whether one of them is the target, or both of them are, is still unclear, though.

<Next, Baron Martz Salar, but......>

There's no way the baron is the culprit either, right? He's family to the two being targeted.

That man probably loves his wife and daughter properly.

He's different from...... my garbage family.

......Ah, Madam is glancing over here.

It seems I accidentally leaked killing intent and it turned into 【Intimidation】.

It's nothing, it's really nothing at aaall......

<Besides, if he were the culprit, he wouldn't have asked you to be the guard, Emi, and I don't think the baron is the culprit either. It's just......>

Just what?

<Even if he heard from the baroness and the maid what you can do, Emi, hiring a vagrant who appeared out of nowhere, and a black-haired, black-eyed cursed child at that, as a guard strikes me as rather odd.>

Hmm, now that you mention it, maybe?

It's sad, but people with black hair and black eyes are hated so much that if they show up in a village, they get chased off with spears (speaking from experience).

If anything, in this mansion, it's the sinister butler's treatment of me that's the normal reaction to a cursed child.

<There may be some circumstances behind this action. However, it seems unrelated to the current incident, so I shall not analyze it further.>

I feel like he'd answer if I just asked about those circumstances.

I'll try asking him if I get the chance.

<Next, regarding the maid, Maid.>

Maid-senpai was certainly attacked along with Sara-chan and the others during the carriage ambush, right?

I don't think there's any way she's the culprit.

<Actually, she might have just been pretending to be attacked, and had an arrangement to be the only one let go by the thieves after everything was over.>

Whaaat!?

<This is strictly a matter of possibility, but it's not impossible, is it?>

Hmm...... but look, Omake-sama.

From the looks of it, Maid-senpai is just a normal maid who's good at cleaning, right?

She doesn't seem all that strong, and I've never seen her deliberately use 【Body Strengthening】...... and that roof board yesterday was pretty heavy too, so wouldn't just dropping it be a real struggle for Maid-senpai?

As I thought, it's difficult for Maid-senpai to have committed the crime.

<......Perhaps that maid is hiding her true strength.>

No, no, no, no way.

What is it? Why do you suspect Maid-senpai, Omake-sama?

<Because a maid who's secretly an assassin is an Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast staple!>

That's just pure prejudice!!

<Also, about the servant, Mauve......>

Stop treating him as an afterthought......

Sure, he's a plain guy, but still.

<This person was actually attacked by thieves and knocked unconscious during the carriage ambush. Unlike the maid, I do not believe that was an act.>

Gununu, Omake-sama, you're way too hung up on your Maid-senpai-is-the-mastermind theory!

Preconceptions are not good!

<Still, he is a man, and he looks strong enough to drop a board off the roof.>

If you put it that way, the sinister butler is the same, right?

I mean, if the condition is ‘strong enough to drop a board’, then once you rule out the baron, aren't the only suspects for the roof board incident Uncle Mauve and the sinister butler?

<Oh.>

‘Oh’!?

What was all that deducing since last night even for......!?

<A, ahem! Next, regarding the butler, Sneigen. This person was not involved in the carriage ambush, and he has the strength to drop a roof board.>

And he has a bad personality!

He's always going ‘Madam, Madam’ and seems to treat the baron like an afterthought, so there might be some kind of grudge there!

<But hold on. With both the carriage ambush and the roof board incident, there's a good chance the baroness would have been hurt if you hadn't been there, Emi. Do you think that Madam-adoring butler would do such a thing?>

Ngh, true......

And looking at the sinister butler's usual behavior, he might have a bad personality, but he's hardworking when it comes to his job.

I don't think he'd do something that puts a flaw in his own work...... or something that would hurt Sara-chan and the others.

Uuuh, who is the culprit after all?

I can't tell no matter how much I think about it!

<I'm backing the ‘the maid was secretly hiding her strength all along’ theory after all! ‘The maid is secretly strong’ is a classic trope!>

What kind of trope is that!

Muu...... To begin with, Omake-sama.

I've thought about it a lot.

<Yes, what is it, Emi?>

We've only known the members of the baronial house for a short time, so I can't imagine any motives that would lead to them committing a crime at all.

<Yes.>

And it's not like we have any kind of evidence.

<Yes.>

So if we sit here guessing at this and that, isn't that just a fantasy, not a deduction?

<............>

......Omake-sama?

<............Hmph.>

Don't sulk!!!

Omake-sama's deduction was more hopeless than I expected, and it was of no use whatsoever in solving the incident.

Well, I'm a guard, not a detective. I just have to protect Sara-chan and the others without thinking about unnecessary things!

Yep, I decided to stop worrying about it.

Omake-sama is a support-type character, but pretty hopeless.