THE KNIGHT'S JUSTICE:
DIVINE PUNISHMENT PART 7
"Ran, that was around 4:00 PM, wasn't it?" Kogoro asked his daughter.
"Yes," Ran confirmed. "But when we returned to search for Leon-kun, the barrier had been removed. Isn't that right, Sonoko?"
"Exactly," Sonoko added. "That would have been right around 5:00 PM."
Inspector Megure gave a somber nod, his eyes fixed on the frozen frame of the digital recording. "The homicide transpired at approximately 4:30 PM. It appears the culprit deliberately placed the 'No Entry' placard to seal off this wing and prevent any unwelcome intrusions."
"After securing his solitude, the assassin donned the ceremonial plate and lay in wait within the shadows of the room," Kogoro Mouri theorized, his voice heavy with grim certainty.
"Precisely. He utilized the suit of armor as a vessel for execution," Megure added.
"Which leads us to a singular conclusion," Kogoro noted, "the killer is someone intimately familiar with the inner workings of this museum."
"In other words..." Inspector Megure turned his gaze toward the huddle of museum staff gathered in the claustrophobic monitoring room, "the murderer is standing among us right now."
Conan, slipping unnoticed toward the console, pressed the play button. He was determined to see the knight's subsequent actions.
"Hey! Brat! Stop meddling with the equipment!" Kogoro bellowed, but his reprimand died in his throat as the video continued to roll.
They watched, transfixed, as the blood-soaked knight stood motionless, looming over the impaled remains of Mr. Manaka like a dark god verifying his sacrifice. Then, a small, dark silhouette emerged from the gloom, drifting toward the killer from behind.
Every eyebrow in the room arched in synchronized disbelief.
The diminutive figure wore a charcoal overcoat that draped down to his knees, topped with a wide-brimmed black hat. From the camera's perspective, only his back was visible. They watched as the armored executioner slowly pivoted his helmed head, looking down at the small interloper.
A heavy, inexplicable tension radiated from the screen as the two figures remained locked in a silent, spectral stalemate. Then, the boy tilted his head; for a fleeting second, the veil covering his face caught the light.
"What?! It's Leon! That's really Leon-kun!" Ran and Conan exclaimed in unison.
"What is that foolish child doing?" Kogoro's voice crackled with a mixture of anger and alarm. "If that knight had turned his blade on the boy, it would have been a massacre!"
Sonoko, witnessing the footage for the first time, instinctively knelt and gripped Leon's shoulders. "What were you thinking, being in there with that monster?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I went to observe the Fallen Knight," Leon replied with his usual, unnerving detachment.
On the monitor, the knight appeared poised to strike, but then he froze. He followed the boy's gaze toward the right side of the gallery. For a long, harrowing minute, the murderer and the veiled child stood side-by-side in a silent vigil. Finally, the knight stepped past the boy, vanishing from the camera's periphery. Leon did not turn to watch him retreat. Instead, he remained before the grisly display of Manaka's body, his head bowed and hands clasped. To any observer, he was a child deep in prayer. The footage eventually cut to the moment Kogoro and the others rushed into the frame.
Kogoro strode toward Leon, crouching to meet the boy's veiled gaze. "Listen to me, Leon. Did you see anything? Could you tell who was inside that suit? Can you identify the person behind the mask?"
Inspector Megure, Conan, and Ran leaned in, their breaths held. Even the museum staff stared with predatory intensity, waiting for the boy's revelation.
Leon tilted his head, the dark veil swaying with the movement. His voice emerged—hoarse, sickly, and rasping. "No idea who was that Fallen Knight."
He spoke in English, his words foreign to some and haunting to others.
"N-no idea?" Kogoro repeated, stumbling over the syllables.
"Leon-kun says he has no clue who was hidden inside the armor," Ran translated for her father, her tone disappointed.
"Ah... I see," Kogoro muttered, deflating as he trudged back to the monitor.
Inspector Megure approached the boy, his curiosity piqued. "Is this the 'Leon' you mentioned yesterday?" Ran and Sonoko nodded. "Oho... quite the peculiar lad. What a strange outfit," the Inspector remarked, eyeing the funereal attire that completely masked the boy's identity.
Leon nodded curtly. Then, his muffled voice drifted up to the detective. "Mister... why do you use that hat to conceal your old injury?"
Megure froze. He partially deciphered the boy's meaning, and his eyes widened in genuine shock. Unconsciously, his right hand flew to the crown of his brown leather bucket hat, clutching it tightly.
"A strange child indeed," Megure murmured under his breath. He quickly straightened his posture and, offering a cryptic smile instead of an answer, retreated toward the console where Kogoro and Conan were already scrutinizing the footage in slow motion.
"Sonoko... Leon's prediction actually came true," Ran whispered urgently into her friend's ear.
"Yeah..." Sonoko whispered back, her eyes wide. "It really was a knight's divine punishment, just like he said."
"Does this mean Leon-kun can truly see into the future?" Ran asked, her voice tinged with a touch of supernatural dread.
"Maybe he has some kind of sixth sense," Sonoko replied with a hint of protective pride. "Perhaps my little Leon possesses a superpower."
"A superpower?" Ran repeated, bewildered.
"You know, like the Yokai in the stories!" Sonoko hissed.
Ran let out a soft, nervous chuckle. "Are you suggesting Leon-kun is some kind of spirit?"
"A Yokai? My Leon?" Sonoko crossed her arms defiantly. "Of course not. But if he were, he'd certainly be the most precious one to ever exist."
Leon stood beside them, seemingly oblivious to their theorizing. He reached for his matte-black flask and unscrewed the cap. As he lifted the vessel to his lips, the flask itself pushed the dark veil upward, revealing nothing but the pale line of his jaw as he drank.
Unbeknownst to the boy, several eyes were anchored upon him. Some watched out of morbid curiosity regarding the video, but one pair of eyes—hidden among the staff—gazed at him with profound bewilderment and a simmering, confused intensity. This person stared in total bafflement, wondering why the child had remained silent when asked if he saw the face behind the steel.
Back at the monitor, Conan's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Hey... look! The owner is doing something!" Conan shouted, rewinding the clip once more.
AM N. NOT.(っ－＿－)っ♤♤DRAFT♤♤