During the commercial break, discussions about the second episode of The Garden of Sinners – A Study in Murder – Part 1 – were taking place all across the Empire.
Compared to the general public, who were mainly focused on the storyline itself, the discussions among the Arch Mages at the pinnacle of the Alchemy Tower revolved around much grander topics.
"Dual personalities, overlapping souls—has there been any similar case in the real-world magical theoretical field?"
In response to the question posed by Administrator Hohenheim, Arch Mage Rosa pondered for a moment before replying:
"Mages who study the mind and soul have indeed proposed similar theories in the past, but achieving them in reality is exceedingly difficult. After all, even the basic form of merging two souls into one cannot be resolved. Some researchers believe that the process should involve splitting both souls in half and then stuffing them into a single vessel. But how exactly should they be split? To this day, there's been no conclusive answer. After all, very few people would dare conduct such a mad experiment in real life."
Hearing Rosa's words, a relatively young middle-aged Arch Mage spoke up:
"Has the Necromancy Branch ever conducted similar research? I recall that many of their experiments were outright insane—their methods were so cruel that even I don't have full access to their records."
To this, Arch Mage Rosa replied calmly:
"Naturally, they have. But the process was so far beyond the limits of human morality that I'd strongly advise against looking into it. Back when I reviewed the records with Stritch, he ended up running to the bathroom to vomit uncontrollably. It took him days to recover."
"Uh… What I'm curious about is, why were you fine, Arch Mage Rosa…?"
In response, Rosa simply smiled and said:
"That's a secret only women know. If you want to find out, be prepared for me to kill you."
"!!!"
Seeing the middle-aged Arch Mage truly startled, Rosa immediately broke into a smile and said loudly:
"I'm just joking. But really, there are some things better left unknown."
While the two of them continued their discussion, the other Arch Mages were also engaged in conversations about the story. However, since A Study in Murder – Part 1 contained far fewer magical elements compared to Overlooking View, their discussions remained rather superficial.
At this moment, all the Arch Mages were more eager for the upcoming third episode of The Garden of Sinners. They were all curious—could Edward, in this climactic final episode, bring them an experience beyond their expectations?
…
At the same time, in the Imperial Capital.
Commander Wycliffe fixated on whether Ryougi Shiki had actually committed murder.
Even though Shiki ultimately did not kill Kokutou Mikiya and ended up hospitalized herself, for someone as unwavering in his sense of justice as Commander Wycliffe, the only thing that mattered was the final outcome.
"If Ryougi Shiki truly is a ruthless murderer, and they still made her the protagonist, then I'll report this film immediately! I'll even petition His Majesty the Emperor to ensure that such morally corrupt content is never broadcast on television again!"
Seeing Commander Wycliffe's overly serious demeanor, Rhine—who had just been beaten up—naturally dared not speak up. Instead, he turned to Wilhelm beside him and said:
"At the very end, when the screen went black, there was a roar, like that of a beast. Was that some kind of magical creature?"
Hearing the question, Wilhelm pondered for a moment before finally replying:
"It was probably a Silver Moon Wolf, a common magical beast found in the forests across the Empire. These creatures are highly aggressive and frequently attack travelers. Ryougi Shiki might have lost consciousness due to an attack from one of these beasts."
"A magical beast attack? Then why was Kokutou Mikiya completely unharmed?"
"That…"
Wilhelm had no answer to that question either and fell silent.
At the same time, the surrounding knights were not particularly concerned with such deep discussions. Instead, they were simply thrilled that Wilhelm had managed to obtain a television from Edward.
Being able to watch such an exciting show firsthand was more than enough to make them happy.
<+>
Edward's Tavern
After the screening of A Study in Murder – Part 1 ended, Edward stretched lazily.
Watching television for long periods truly took a toll on the body. Given that the Empire was not in a completely peaceful state, perhaps it would be necessary to regulate the broadcasting schedule more strictly in the future—to ensure adequate rest periods at the very least.
As Edward entertained a thought that would likely be met with nationwide opposition, the people around him were already engaged in a heated debate.
"There's no way Ryougi Shiki is the murderer. The clues are just too obvious—it feels like they're deliberately misleading us."
Chase shared his opinion. Although he had been mostly silent throughout the screening, he still wanted to voice his thoughts once the episode concluded.
Beside him, Winry nodded in agreement. However, she was clearly hoping for a happy ending and preferred to believe that Shiki hadn't done anything truly evil.
Meanwhile, Zat and Aya—who had been fighting just moments ago—had finally calmed down thanks to Helena and Daphne's mediation. Zat then spoke up:
"I don't think Shiki is a bad person. If she were, Mikiya would never have survived."
"Hmph, so even you can say something useful every once in a while, huh, Zat?"
Aya's smug expression for no apparent reason irritated Zat, who promptly grabbed her blue hair and shouted:
"What the hell are you so proud of? Like you have anything meaningful to say!"
Tearing up from the pain, Aya immediately shouted back:
"Of course I do! Shiki never killed anyone! She never even made up her mind to kill Mikiya! In fact, I think that at the last moment— she was actually trying to kill herself!"
"What?!"
Everyone in the tavern was stunned by Aya's words—especially Edward, who even suspected she had somehow gotten spoilers for the upcoming episodes.
However, he hadn't even written the next part of the script yet, meaning there was no way Aya had seen any spoilers. She had simply spoken based on her intuition.
"Honestly, I can't tell if you're a genius or a complete idiot. Your argument makes no sense whatsoever!"
Zat scoffed at Aya, his tone full of disdain. But of course, Aya refused to back down.
Just as it seemed like another fight was about to break out, Edward quickly intervened:
"Alright, alright, the commercial break is almost over. The next episode is about to start."
"It's starting?!"
In an instant, everyone in the tavern straightened up in their seats.
At the same time, across the Empire, audiences watching the broadcast fell silent as the screen momentarily went black.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1].
Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 188: Steins;Gate Premieres! (Part 6)[2]
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https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130705860?collection=162522
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130705860?collection=162522
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed