Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 113: Twenty-Ninth Floor, The Deck Stained by Betrayal (2)

With ten pairs of eyes fixed on me, I needed to say something.

How should I defend myself? Hmm, I could say—No that wouldn’t work. Wait, how about this?

“If I were the killer, would I need to pick off one person at a time?”

“What are you implying?”

Keeping my tone calm and direct, I attempted to sound confident rather than arrogant. “I’m saying that I could kill you all even if everyone came at me at once.”

Fortunately, my rebuttal went as planned. The crew went silent as soon as I finished, leading to a tense pause.

Finally, the first mate spoke up, “No matter how skilled you are, I doubt you could fend off all of us at once.”

“Oh, really? We can test that, right now. I’ll only restrain you, so don’t worry about getting hurt.”

The first mate looked ready to respond but swallowed his words.

When the silence only thickened, I added, “I understand it’s unsettling to be suspected, but let’s avoid reckless accusations.”

“We’ve sailed together for years! No one here would—”

“Enough!”

The captain’s voice cut through the air, halting the first mate’s protest.

“Sir Knight is right. I checked his records myself. He’s a decorated hero from the Western Front. If he were the murderer, he wouldn’t be tiptoeing around. He’d have killed us all outright.”

“You don’t know that! Maybe he’s just playing with us for his own amusement—”

“I said enough!”

The captain reprimanded him sharply, then shifted his gaze back to me to watch my reaction closely. Although he had spoken in my favor, I spotted a trace of doubt lingering in his expression.

Well...

It wasn’t ideal, but I could hardly blame him. Given the choice between familiar faces and a stranger, it was only natural to trust his crewmates.

“All right, everyone. Let’s honor Lettry and return to our duties. Bolren! Lewis!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Take care of the corpse.”

***

[Identify the murderer. Time remaining: 95 hours and 24 minutes.]

Lettry’s funeral was short and simple. They cast his body into the sea before honoring him with a brief moment of silence. Though it felt abrupt to me, I respected their customs because when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

The captain instructed the crew to avoid traveling alone whenever possible, advising everyone to notify others before heading anywhere. I liked his suggestion, as it seemed a practical way to prevent more deaths.

“Doppy, who do you think the killer is?”

“Kriee! No idea!”

As expected, asking Doppy directly wouldn’t solve the problem, although I had hoped for some insights.

How should I deal with the suspicion currently directed at me?

While the captain’s intervention had defused the tension earlier, the crew’s wary glances hadn’t vanished. They would shuffle away and keep a nervous distance when I neared them.

They were avoiding me.

Now that I was in this situation, staying close to someone would be my wisest course of action. If another murder occurred, I would not only clear myself of suspicion but also confirm the innocence of at least one crew member.

Roaming around alone to prevent a murder would likely only deepen their doubts and result in more victims.

The problem is that everyone’s already so wary of me. Hmm... Perhaps I should stay close to the captain.

With my decision made, I approached him. He watched me with a guarded expression, clearly uneasy, though I couldn’t let that deter me.

“Sir Knight, is something the matter? Are you uncomfortable?”

“I’d like to stay near you.”

“What?” His voice rose slightly, a hint of nervousness creeping in. “Why would you want to stay with me?”

I spoke gently, trying to put him at ease, “To avoid suspicion.”

Unfortunately, my attempt was ineffective, and he stepped backward. “A-avoid suspicion?”

“If a murder happens while I’m with you, it’ll clear both of us.”

“But if no murder happens, won’t that make you seem more suspicious?”

“Well, isn’t it better if no one dies? There are only a few days left. My goal is to return safely. And... you could be under suspicion, too.”

I had added the last part deliberately to gauge his reaction, but his expression remained steady.

The captain exhaled softly, “Haa...”

“Are you uncomfortable with my idea?”

He considered my question for a short while, then seemingly made up his mind. “Yes, a bit.”

“Please bear with it. It’s for the sake of keeping as many crew members alive as possible.”

The captain nodded reluctantly, then suddenly posed a question, “Sir Knight, are you planning to stay with me even while I sleep?”

“Of course. I’m even planning to follow you to the restroom.”

“That seems a bit—”

“It’s necessary if we want to create an undeniable alibi. Don’t worry about where I’ll sleep. I’ll stay on the floor with Doppy.”

Fortunately, my rank as a knight placed me above the captain, allowing me to press this unorthodox plan.

The captain laughed dryly, and I replied with a small smile.

***

[Identify the murderer. Time remaining: 73 hours and 12 minutes.]

A day passed without incident, which only intensified the wary glances coming from the captain and crew. Some crew members, perhaps suspecting that I had sinister intentions toward the captain, began covertly observing our every move.

Since I had expected as much, I wasn’t particularly unsettled.

If the murderer has any common sense, they won’t act while I am sticking close to the captain.

That was especially true now, with the crew members moving in pairs. Committing a murder under these conditions would not only narrow the list of suspects but also practically seal the killer’s fate.

Most likely, they were lying low and biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment.

Unless, of course, the captain himself is the murderer.

Honestly, if we maintained this setup for the remaining three days, I was sure we would be safe. Even if the killer wasn’t caught, the trial would end once time ran out.

Though I wouldn’t earn the maximum reward for capturing the murderer, I would still receive a fairly decent reward for saving nine crew members.

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This was a trial designed by the Tower of Ordeal, though. There was no way the murderer would simply sit still.

I decided to take a different approach.

If I were the killer, what would I do in this situation? If the knight stays with the captain, and the crew moves in pairs, then...

Committing a murder in the same manner as before would be extremely risky. To break the stalemate, the killer would need to disrupt the current setup.

I would create chaos, revealing an opening.

The best way to achieve this on a ship would be to trigger an unprecedented crisis. For example, they could make a small breach below decks.

Not enough to sink the ship, but enough to raise the alarm.

Still, this seemed unlikely. With everyone moving in pairs, it would be challenging to cause the damage without being noticed. Besides, if the ship actually began to sink, the murderer would be risking their own life as well.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to raise this worry with the captain.

“Captain.”

“Yes?”

“Can we put a guard below decks?”

The captain looked at me perplexedly. “Why the suggestion all of a sudden?”

“The killer has to be feeling cornered right now. They’ll likely try to create a disturbance to open up an opportunity. The threat of sinking would be a perfect chance for them.”

“Hmm... it’s a sensible idea, but unfortunately, it isn’t feasible.”

“Not feasible?”

With how he had rejected my idea, I suspected he had a specific reason.

The captain turned his gaze to the open sea. “A storm is set to hit tonight. With two crew members already dead, we’re short-handed as it is. Unfortunately, we can’t spare anyone to keep guard below.”

“Ah, I see.” I nodded, trying to figure out how to process this new information.

Of course, something like this had to happen, reminding me that this was real, not a game of Mafia. The tower seemed to have orchestrated the storm on purpose, likely to prevent the climber from stopping the murders.

Something was bound to happen tonight. I was sure of it.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside. Focusing, I overheard a young sailor’s words.

“Aaah! Moruk is dead!”

“Captain! Captain!”

***

[Identify the murderer. Time remaining: 73 hours and 9 minutes.]

The third murder had taken place on the deck, with three witnesses.

Unfortunately, none of them had identified the killer since the victim had been poisoned.

Staring at the body sprawled on the deck, blood trickling from his mouth, I found myself unable to hide my shock.

I see. So this can happen, too.

My mind had fixated on the idea that the murderer would kill every crewmate in the same way after seeing what had happened to the second victim. I wasn’t the only one who had been blindsided, however. The captain hadn’t considered poison either since he had only told us to stay in pairs.

“Who prepared lunch today?”

The first mate responded to the captain’s question, “It was Bellachi and Ivo!”

As soon as he spoke, the two sailors objected loudly.

“Captain! It wasn’t us!”

“Everyone else is fine, aren’t they? We served the meal in front of everyone!”

That was true. Lunch had been prepared and distributed with no signs of tampering. If the food had been poisoned, others would have died as well. The captain seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, nodding slightly.

Feeling somewhat relieved despite the murder, I spoke up, “Well, at least this clears the captain and me. We’ve been together the entire time.”

“Yes... even when I went to the restroom, you stood outside the door, and I never touched the food.”

The other crew members nodded after hearing the captain’s words. Their once-hostile stares toward me softened, and, knowingly or not, they inched a bit closer to me.

Now that I was cleared of suspicion, my power as a knight seemed to have instinctively drawn them in.

“Fuck! Well, at least we know the knight and I aren’t the murderers! Does anyone know what Moruk did after lunch?”

“He went about his usual tasks. He paired up with the first mate, Ivo, and Denzel in turns.”

“Did he eat or drink anything?”

“He only had a bit of water but didn’t eat anything.”

As the conversation went around in circles, I moved closer to the poisoned corpse, hoping to find some kind of clue.

“Doppy, any chance you recognize this poison?”

“Kriee! Well...” Doppy trailed off, lost in thought.

It leaned in, sniffing near the victim’s mouth, but soon shook its head. “No clue!”

“Well, thanks for trying.”

I patted Doppy’s head and then noticed a dark mark near the victim’s neck—a small smudge of black ash roughly the size of a pinky nail.

It looks like a cigarette burn.

Scanning the area, I spotted a cigarette butt lying nearby. It seemed Moruk had been smoking right before he died. When he began coughing up blood, he probably grabbed his neck with the hand that was holding the cigarette, burning himself.

Just as I looked away from the cigarette, a thought struck me.

Hmm, why does this cigarette look familiar?

It clearly wasn’t from Earth, so that narrowed my options significantly. I quickly replayed the last twenty-four hours in my mind. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

With no other option, I decided to act directly.

I picked up the cigarette butt and took a sniff, recognizing a faintly refreshing scent mixed with stale tobacco.

Is it...?

It smelled just like the captain’s cigarettes.