 | Name | Great Detective Hurlock: The Alchemist and the Clockwork Saint |
| Type (Ingame) | Quest Item | |
| Family | Non-Codex Series, Non-Codex Lore Item | |
| Rarity |  |
Item Story
| Chapter VI "So, the story ends like this." Hurlock sat down and lit his pipe. But the rest of us, whether it was Agent Gina, Miss Jacoba, or the commissioner Miss Ei Chiie, looked at one another in confusion. "You must still remember that the locations of the four previous cases were equidistant. There was a symmetrical pattern between the time, space, and even the first letters of the four victims' names," Hurlock said. "This is also why Gina's deduction was completely off the mark. The murderer knew that she, possessing basic knowledge of the mystic arts, would assume that the followers of the Liliacruces Ordo would treat the patient as a necessary ritual sacrifice. So, the culprit let her believe that her assumption was entirely correct." "But when Duke St. Germanus departed, he clearly said that everything was beyond redemption, and the next case would also..." Agent Gina protested, somewhat reluctantly. "He's only a genius when it comes to mechanics; in everything else, he's just an ordinary person." Hurlock paused, then continued, "He's always been the type to like things he can fully understand. Just like you, Gina." "Ah! I get it!" Miss Jacoba shouted suddenly. "My dear Hurlock! Now everything's crystal clear! The fourth victim's death wasn't a carefully planned murder. It was pure coincidence! He only wanted to kill those three unfortunate gentlemen to avenge his comrades from the Liliacruces Ordo. But the traps he set weren't limited to just those three locations. He was worried that the plan might fail, since the three victims were all well-protected figures, after all. So, he added a few extra traps. Yet, he never expected that, with Gina's interference, the plan would go far more smoothly than intended..." "...Miss Jacoba! Please don't speak as if I were the accomplice!" Agent Gina's face turned as red as a sunsettia as she protested indignantly. How adorable. "Indeed," Hurlock said calmly. It was unclear whether he meant that Miss Jacoba's deductions were correct, or that Agent Gina was indeed an accomplice. "Most of the experimental devices proposed by the Liliacruces Ordo are built based on simple, basic "..." I remained silent as usual, but Miss Jacoba glanced at me with what seemed like a hint of puzzlement. "What's wrong? Why are you standing there in silence? Is there something on your mind?" "...No, I just didn't expect the truth to be so simple." Of course, my understanding of clockwork mecha cannot compare to that of the Duke St. Germanus, but I've done a bit of research. To suggest that those mechanisms were merely activated by Mr. Marcello's mishandling seemed a bit too contrived. But to imply that there was another mastermind behind it all felt like stretching into the territory of conspiracy theories. After all, no one besides us could've pulled off the operation I envisioned. So, I decided to abandon further speculation, choosing instead to enjoy the reactions of the adorable Agent Gina. "Hehe, this is why you don't understand deduction!" Agent Gina seemed to have regained her confidence — not to mention her mild sense of superiority — over me. Excitedly, she raised a finger, "Isn't there a saying that goes something like, 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however—'" "Stop right there. That's Fanto-something-mas Rob-something's story. We don't have the publishing rights from their publisher." Hurlock took another drag of his pipe. He seemed to be lost in thought once more. Regardless, this case came to an abrupt close. A person who did not manage to witness the end, a person who did not manage to achieve his ideals. A person who indulged in fairy tales, who dreamt of following the hero he admired, yet never saw his dream fulfilled. Someone who had everything, someone who lost everything, someone who woke up, someone who would never wake again. Unstinting in sacrifice, unflinching in farewell, undaunted by pain. Yet, in the end, the sacrifices remained only sacrifices, the partings remained only partings. Clocks tick through tranquil years, fish swim in crystalline springs. No matter how grand a dream is, it will fade away like this — forlorn, wordless, silent. And after that... |
And here i hoped Wolfs gravestone would still be a great fit. Both in vanity and practice.