Case #1: Locked Room Mystery: Part 1

It was a brisk early morning, the birds were chirping, and the sound of hot oil sizzling could be heard as Emila cracked two eggs in the hot cast-iron pan. 

"Good Morning," Ana greeted Haruno & Emila, walking into the open dining area while the pair were still in the middle of making breakfast. "You know you don't have to make breakfast every day, right?" she stated, pulling out the wooden dining chairs and proceeding to sit down.

"The first meal of the day is always important!" Emila stated, removing the cooked sunny-side eggs onto a plate before cracking another two eggs. "It's the least we can do since we are staying here, rent-free." 

"Here you go," Haruno stated, placing a cup of freshly brewed black coffee in front. "You didn't want any sugar or milk, right?" she inquired. 

'No, this is fine," Ana answered, taking a small sip and immersing herself in the dark, rich flavor, and allowing the warmth to fill her exhausted body. "You know, I've had coffee multiple times before, and each time, I always used an excessive amount of sugar cubes and milk. The way you make it, Haruno, I can drink it like this." 

"To perfectly brew coffee, you would need to consider the type of coffee bean and the temperature of the water you are using. " Haruno explained, "You also want to make sure you don't oversteep the grounds, otherwise it develops an acidic taste," placing a French press onto the table. 

"You are quite lucky to have a photographic memory," Ana stated, placing her cup back onto the table. "To have the world's knowledge at your fingertips, that is something most people would want," she envied. 

After staying with Ana for a few days, Haruno decided that Ana was trustworthy, revealing her photographic memory and Emila's eyesight. 

"Here you go!" Emila stated, placing two plates with two sunny-side-up eggs, three crispy bacon strips, and two golden brown slices of toast in front of them. "We have some fresh fruits too," as she placed a large wooden bowl of cut melon and strawberries.

"Thank you for the meal," all three stated, with Ana picking up on Haruno & Emila's other-world pre-meal greetings. 

"What is your plan for today?" Ana inquired while cutting the long strips of bacon into smaller pieces. "Are you going back to the library, Haruno?" 

"Possibly?" Haruno answered, "I only have one more area of the library that I haven't read, other than the restriction area." 

"Already??!" Ana exclaimed, "You do realize that there are thousands of books and you've read through all of them in a matter of a week and a half?!?" 

"More or less," Haruno replied, scooping out a few cubed fruits. 

"How about you, Emila?" Ana inquired. "Are you planning on going back to the dismantling department for more training?"

During their time at Anan's home, Haruno has been mainly focused on collecting information about this world, so she has been spending her days reading books in the royal library. While waiting on Haruno, Emila spent most of her time studying monster anatomy and dismantling skills from the dismantling team.

"Hm.....I'm not too sure," Emila answered, "If Haruno is done reading, maybe we will finally take a simple quest and head out of the gate." 

"In that case, you both need to obtain better weapons," Ana stated. "Emila, you cannot keep using that branch as a sword. Haruno, you need a gauntlet if you plan on fighting with your fist. There are monster fluids that can easily melt human flesh just by coming into contact with it," she advised.

"Yes, yes, mother," Haruno answered in obedience. 

Haruno's Quirk #1: When she gets attached to an adult figure, she will address them as if they are part of her family. It is noted that Haruno has addressed her teachers as mother multiple times on Earth. 

"I'll take you to a weaponsmith in the afternoon," Ana added, "In the meantime, why don't you rest up, Emila, while Haruno finishes reading her books?" she suggested. 

"That sounds like a good plan, Guild Master," Emila answered politely. 

"You still aren't willing to call me by my name?" Ana inquired, "You call me mom too if you wish," hoping Emila would open up a bit more.

".....I.......I" Emila stampered, trying to find an excuse before a loud knock could be heard.

"Guild Master Ana!" a male voice yelled, followed by rapid, heavy knocks. "I have an urgent message for you!"

"I wonder what this could be about?" Ana stood up and walked over to the door while Haruno & Emila remained seated. A few moments passed by, and Ana returned to the table, reading a letter with an intense face. 

"What's wrong, Mom?" Harun questioned, "Did something happen?" 

"Nothing major," Ana answered, placing the letter onto the table. "An old colleague of mine passed away." 

"I see...... what happened?" Haruno inquired, noticing Ana's concerned expression. 

"He was found yesterday in his study room by his older sister, who had just returned home. " Ana stated, re-reading the letter, "The church clergy who later assessed the body stated he's been dead for at least two days, but the body showed no signs of rotting." 

"Wait, that's impossible!" Emila stated, "If he has been dead for two days, his body should have started to decompose."

"I agree too," Anna stated, "I plan on visiting the older sister after our breakfast and taking a look at the study room where he died." 

"Do you think he was poisoned or cursed?" Haruno inquired about the reason for Ana's visit, which was to look for a curse.  Ana's eyes possessed another rare ability, curse detection. 

"I can't say for sure. He was only twenty-five years old, and as a colleague, I want to rule everything out," Ana answered. "The weirdest thing was that the study room was locked from the inside. Why would he lock his study room while still inside?" she added.

"Locked?" Haruno & Emila asked. "Was there no spare key?" Emila questioned. 

"The study room was always kept locked due to the rare books inside, and the only spare key was kept in the family vault," Ana stated. "The servant thought he had left the house already that day to attend a scheduled meeting. Apparently, it was quite common for him to go out and not let anyone know, only to return after a few days." 

Suddenly, a notification appeared in front of both Haruno & Emila, "Goddess Trial: Solve the Locked Room Mystery." 

"MOTHER FUC-" Haruno yelled, with Ana standing up and yelling back, upset about her foul language, which was unsuitable for a lady. 

"Here you go, Lady Ana," a butler stated, unlocking the study room door, opening it inward, and allowing Ana, Haruno & Emila to enter the small study room.

The study room measures fourteen feet wide and twenty feet long, with a fireplace and a single window covered by red drapes. Behind the door, a large built-in bookshelf filled with rare books extended up towards the ceiling. On the other end of the room, there was a large wooden desk covered in papers with a brown office chair facing outward. By the covered-up window, an expensive-looking brown leather chaise lounge chair was placed along with a coffee table in front, facing a medium-sized painting.  The painting depicted a small stream flowing into a lake with multiple lush green trees in the background and small bushes with red berries.  

"Where was Arthur found?" Ana asked the butler, while Haruno & Emila walked around the study room, looking for clues.

"The young master was found lying right here in front of the painting," the butler answered, gesturing towards the wooden floor area.

"I see," Anna crouched down and began to look for any signs of mana residue that may indicate a curse involvement. "In my letter, it was mentioned that the door was locked from the inside. Was there any reason why he would have locked the door?" she inquired.

"Unfortunately, we do not know that," the butler answered, "In the past, the young master has never locked the door to the study, but this habit started recently. We used to bring refreshment every hour or so, but now, we only bring it when called by that bell," he gestured towards a handbell on the wooden desk. 

"I see..." Anna muttered, "Nothing...I don't see anything."

"Anything stand out to you, Haruno?" Emila asked, telepathically, while they continued walking around the room.

"I got nothing," Haruno answered, "How is this even a mystery? Couldn't he just have died of natural causes like a heart attack or stroke?" she commented.

"If the Goddess states it's a mystery, there has to be something we aren't seeing," Emila replied.

Haruno began to inspect the wooden wall, looking up and down, and noticed a slight discoloration around the painting that measured three inches.

"This wasn't the original painting that hung here, was it?" Haruno asked the butler. "The walls around the painting show a lighter color, which indicates a larger painting was originally placed here, right?" she pointed at the light sections of the wood that weren't damaged by the sun's UV rays.

"You are correct, young miss. I'm surprised you could tell that," the butler answered, "This painting was placed here roughly a year ago. It was a birthday present given to the young master, and it was painted by a famous painter."

"Hmmmm.....," Haruno muttered, staring at the painting along with Ana, followed by an upset look of nothing.

"I'm assuming you don't see a sign of a curse either, Ana?" a female voice gently asked.

In front of the study doorway stood a young lady in her late twenties, with long brown hair, a white button-down shirt, long tanned pants, and black flat shoes.

"Welcome home, Lady Caroline," the butler greeted and bowed.

"Don't tell me you are my little brother's illegitimate child?" Caroline asked, noticing two other young female guests in the study room, glancing at Haruno & Emila.

"No, no, no, these are my guests," Ana answered. "They are staying with me at the moment, and I wanted a different set of eyes regarding this incident."

"That's a shame...." Caroline muttered, "I was hoping that he would at least have an heir for our bloodline before he passed away. He was only twenty-five years old, and that pressure falls under me now." She sighed heavily before glancing up towards the painting.

"What do you mean by curse?" Haruno questioned. "There are no such things as curses!" She refrained from rebutting the claim, but in the world, curses truly exist and have destroyed nations.

"According to my family history, men in particular tend to pass away in their early thirties," Caroline stated. "Due to this reason, Arthur was determined to identify the curse that has plagued our family lineage for so long, and that's how he came in contact with the Guild Master, Ana."

"Did your little brother show any signs of illness?" Emila questioned, believing this issue could be a genetic illness.

"No, he was perfectly fine", Caroline answered.

"If I may interject, I've noticed the young master was often out of breath after walking up the staircase and struggled to finish his meals," the butler stated. "I would sometimes hear him coughing profusely in the middle of the night, and the maids who changed the sheet noticed immense sweat stains on it."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING TO ME?!!?" Caroline yelled, grabbing the butler's white shirt and pulling him forward.

"The young master forbade me to speak to you regarding this, Lady Caroline," the butler answered, struggling to breathe. "When I inquired if he wished for me to make a doctor appointment, he stated he was fine and proceeded to enter the study room to work. I believe he didn't wish to worry you," he explained, with Caroline letting go as tears fell down her face.

"Emila, did any of those symptoms correlate with any medical illness?" Haruno inquired, telepathically.

"There are hundreds of illnesses that have those symptoms as a base." Emila answered, "It could be appendicitis, kidney failure, or acute pancreatitis."

"Hmm....something doesn't add up," Haruno mumbled, looking at the painting on the wall, Appraisal. Haruno felt something was off about the painting, but couldn't figure it out, so she decided to see if her skill would show anything. The appraisal showed nothing except for the painter's name, "Alonso Varti," she stated out loud.

"Is that who painted this?" Ana questioned after hearing Haruno stating the painter's name out loud, "Is this an original masterpiece from him?" she inquired.

"Yes, that is correct." Caroline answered, "This is actually the last piece painted by Alonso Varti before his death two years ago. Arthur was given this piece as a birthday present last year, and he decided to hang it here for private enjoyment."

"The painter died?" Haruno questioned, "How long after this piece was completed did he die?"

"I'm not too sure about that," Caroline answered, looking at the butler for an answer.

"I believe he passed away a few weeks afterward," the butler answered, "Although there was a rumor that stated otherwise."

"What rumor?" Caroline asked, "Why wasn't I told about this rumor?" she yelled.

"The young master disliked rumor & gossip in this house," the butler answered, "The rumor at the time was that Alonso Varti had died sitting in front of this painting."

Caroline's face went pale, and she began to step away from the painting.

"Relax, Caroline," Ana stated, "The painting isn't cursed," she commented, staring intently at the painting with her emerald eye glowing brightly.

"*Whew*" Caroline breathed with relief, as color returned to her face.

"Well, we've taken a lot of your time today, and once again, Caroline, my condolences regarding the passing of Arthur. He was a truly bright young man who was taken away from us too soon", Ana expressed her sympathy. "Come, you two, let's get going, now," she gestured.

"Okay," Emila answered, with Haruno walking behind her.

"Don't you think it's a bit dark here?" a whispering voice stated into Haruno's ears, with Haruno quickly glancing around.

"What's wrong?" Ana asked, seeing Haruno's panicked state.

"Oh......nothing," Haruno answered, while she began to mutter the same phrase over and over, walking over to Ana.

"Okay then, let's go," Ana stated as the crowd left the study room.

"Dark? It's not dark at all?" Haruno wondered, looking around to see the magic sconces' lights turned on. "I see now...it all makes sense," she mutters, standing still, gradually looking at the closed curtains.

"What are you doing, Haruno?" Emila asked, with Haruno still standing alone in the room, as the crowd waited outside to lock the study room up.

"I solved the mystery," Haruno yelled as the crowd quickly re-entered the room.