The killer is...
Gordon
Explanation
Model Answer
Step 1：
Process of Elimination
We don't know enough about these people to speculate on their motive, so let's concentrate on opportunity. Start by ruling out anyone who couldn't possibly have committed the crime.
Step 2：
Crime Scene Access
Who had access to the crime scene when the murder took place? Our main sources of information are Zisye, who was keeping watch on 2F, and Bernd, who was in the dining hall.
From the layout of the manor you can tell that Gordon and Heinz couldn't have done anything without being seen. Heinz had access to the garden, but the dogs would have started growling if he'd left the kitchen.
Therefore, we can rule out Gordon and Heinz.
Step 3：
Crime Scene Egress
Next, let's take a look at who could have left the crime scene after committing the murder. We know from Bernd that the door was locked when he discovered the body. Elise and Kai didn't have access to the master key, so we can rule them out. Elise could have slipped out through the air vent, but the dust inside hasn't been disturbed, so we know she didn't. (There was also a mirror set up in the vent, so Zisye would have seen her.)
Kai was with Diana at the time of the murder - could the two of them have carried the ladder to the window and gotten in and out that way? Not with Diana's terrible fear of heights. Even if Kai had borrowed the master key from Diana, he wouldn't have been able to reach the room from the inside without being seen.
This means we can rule out Elise and Kai.
Step 4：
Means
Our suspect list is now down to Diana and Bernd. But could either of these two have committed the murder, even if they wanted to? Diana is so scared of heights, she wouldn't have been able to even stand at the top of the stairs, let alone push anyone down it. As for Bernd, he faints at the merest sight of blood, so beheading someone would be out of the question for him.
In other words, the killer can't be Diana or Bernd.
Step 5：
One Last Possibility
But wait, something's wrong here. According to this logic, none of the suspects could be the killer.
There is one last possibility, though. What if the killer was a vampire?
The key to this deduction is something Zisye said earlier in the case.
One, two, three...
Only three here?
Oh, there's one in the kitchen too, so that's everyone.
The four people Zisye is talking about here are Diana, Elise, Bernd, and Heinz. Why doesn't he mention Gordon? Judging from where the mirror is, Zisye should be able to see him. Unless, of course, if Gordon were a vampire.
The butler's alibi rested on the fact that Zisye didn't see him anywhere near the crime scene. But that's because he doesn't cast a reflection - Zisye CAN'T see him. The culprit in the case of the Reinweiß Murder is none other than Gordon!
We received 1,353 entries!
Three lucky winners had the right answer!
This time, out of 1,353 submissions, three players demonstrated outstanding reasoning and deduced the correct culprit of the crime.
These three players have been sent amazing sticker illustrations from the author, Harumurasaki.
An image of the illustration was also sent to 605 players who didn’t completely have the correct reasoning, but still guessed the criminal was Gordon.
Do you really want to know?
Have you looked at all the clues?
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Men walking around at night have been getting killed one after another.
This is someone else
entirely.
I'm an unstable entity,
so I can only live within
mirrors.
Men walking around
at night have been getting
killed one after another.
I'm an unstable entity,
so I can only live within
mirrors.
For you see, most of the people in this mansion despised the Master.
Human!
Offer your
blood to me!
Human!
Offer your
blood to me!
I suspect there's something
he desperately wants to do
with black magic... Now what could that be?
Father, he was searching
for a wayto bring the dead back
to life.
Now, puny humans...
Allow me to
exterminate
you...!
I've got a lot to do. And well,
a corpse is just another thing,
isn't it?
Father, he was searching for a way
to bring the dead back to life.
What I see is the world
as reflected by a mirror,
a world in which vampires cast
no reflection.
Missy, you got spirited
away yourself.
Eeeek!
Th... They've been
killed...!!
Missy, you got spirited
away yourself.
And thus, I too am ultimately
a puppet.
Quite delightful, is it not?
Feel free to laugh.
I was always wondering, really.
"Why won't he just die?"...
I was always wondering, really.
"Why won't he just die?"...
In short, intrusion into this mansion was
impossible at the time of
the Master's murder,
yes...?