Translation brought to you by: The Adventurer’s Guild
Located at: Nation of Koumi Ruins
Discovered by: Reifi Meadow

My name is Aki Shirosaka. I am the youngest son to the Shirosaka family. For generations, my family has ruled over the Koumi nation to its finest glory. Toshio Shirosaka, my father, was a great man.

One week ago today, at 13:34, my father died. 

Here are all of the facts.

At 13:01, A Lhiri councilman by the name of Sir Lorian entered the Shirosaka family residence. He entered with his dog, Barnaby, for which he famously carries with him wherever he goes. He claims it’s for medical reasons, but no one knows what kind of health problem he ails from. We do know, however, the way he walks with a limp and cane.

I watched from the top of the stairs as our butler briefly patted Sir Lorian and Barnaby down. Lord Toshio Shirosaka came to greet him, and they began to head towards the meeting room at 13:04.

Once the door was closed, I had not witnessed anything for around 30 minutes or so, other than our maid entering the room at 13:15. 

At 13:33, I heard a scream. He died a minute later, at 13:34.

To truly know what happened, I must relay the information given to us by the maid. To my knowledge, she had only been working for us for about two months. Here is her testimony:

“I entered the room and handed my Lord and the other gentleman some tea. I was instructed by my Lord to wait near the door, but to not exit the room. If I recall correctly, my Lord was sitting near the back of the room, and Sir Lorian had been seated across from him. I could see both of their faces clearly, but I hadn’t really noticed anything suspicious. Oh, but there was one thing. Sir Lorian, being a careful man, asked my Lord to take a sip of his drink to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. Of course, my Lord would never dream of such, and politely obliged. Then, out of humor, asked Sir Lorian to do the same. For the rest of the afternoon, nothing else seemed to catch my attention. They had been talking about some sort of political affair, which rather bored me. Around 20 minutes later did my Lord suddenly drop to the ground! I was frightened, and I let out a horrific scream, which I’m sure alarmed the town.”

When asked if she had seen Sir Lorian make any suspicious movements, she replied:

“Not particularly. I did notice that he reached down to pet his dog once or twice. If I’ll be honest with you, I do not think that dog is for medical use at all. Sir Lorian is a strange man.”

When asked about the tea, she replied:

“Well, Lord Shirosaka likes his tea cold, so Andre [the butler] adds ice cubes derived from the nearby mountains. They’re kept in the kitchen. Only the butler is allowed in there.”

This was all that the maid had to say. Once I heard her scream, I rushed into the room to see my father’s lifeless body. Sir Lorian was swiftly ushered out.

I stayed with my father the rest of the night. The doctors had confirmed that he died of nightshade poisoning. They said that he must have ingested an awful ton, for his death was far too quick.

Nightshade, if you’re unaware, is found in mountainous regions. Sir Lorian has never been reported to go outside of Lhiri often, even his trip to Koumi was quite rare. 

He was ruthlessly interrogated by our men, and a confession was never brought out of him. Sir Lorian was faced with trial by Lhiri, and was sentenced to death this morning. 

I have written all that I know. I was hoping to end with an answer, but truthfully, I still cannot reach a conclusion.

But I do know this: Sir Lorian was not the one who killed my father. There are many reasons to suspect it was him, but far more to suspect that it was not. The means, the intent, nor the actions made by him add up.

But someday, I will find the reason behind my father’s death. If it is the way I take my final breath.