Section 11 "Study at the Lookout"

We did it... We finally have all five of the bamboo cutter's treasures.

To be honest, I didn't think we were going to pull it off. I should've known better.

Though don't think I've forgotten how you went about getting the dragon's head gems.

And the Enma-tei's keep has been restored. You thought that part rather important, didn't you, Fionn?

Indeed. We need to have everything look exactly as it did five hundred years ago.

I believe the term for it is "on-site inspection." Even better, it doubles as a lookout tower.

It should let us bear witness to all sorts of things, just like Chaldea's simulator.

If we can recreate the scene of the crime five hundred years ago, we should see exactly what happened.

Now that the building is restored to its past state...and with my Clairvoyance, which allows me to see things clearly and with incredible detail...

...I can...

Huh? ...Fionn just started sucking his thumb, Master!

Oho! That is the very Noble Phantasm that saved the Knights of Fianna's lives more times than I can count!

Fintan Finegas...the Thumb of Knowledge!

Uh... Sucking his thumb is a Noble Phantasm...? Is that true...?

There certainly are a lot of strange Heroic Spirits from the West. Blackbeard and Jekyll come to mind.

I am NOT sucking my thumb, thank you very much! I'll have you know I am biting it!

？！

Of course! The Salmon of Knowledge!

It's a story that dates back to when Fionn mac Cumhaill was apprenticed to a druid named Finegas.

Together they caught a rainbow-colored salmon that was said to impart wisdom to whomever ate it.

Fionn cleaned and cooked the fish in order to serve it to his mentor, but then

Yes. Some of the salmon's oil got on Fionn's thumb while he was cooking it...

...and that caused its wisdom crystals to reside within Fionn's thumb.

Indeed. It scares me that he could have intentionally had fate work in his favor like that...

Haha. No, as much as I wish I could claim credit for that, it really was just a coincidence. It's one of the most embarrassing episodes of my entire life.

But my mentor, Finegas, just smiled and told me this is how it should be.

He said that the Salmon of Knowledge was part of nature, and that my actions were similarly natural.

"In which case, it's only right that it resides in you. But you must forgive me if I take pity on you, golden-haired mac Cumhaill."

"After all, you will need to bite your thumb at every sign of trouble from here on! It makes me laugh just thinking about it!"

I-I see... He did have a point...

Of course, I was still happy with this outcome.

Finegas had been searching for the Salmon his whole life, yet he was still happy that I received its wisdom, even after I inadvertently stole it from him.

And that's one of the least outlandish things that happened to me. Really, it's no wonder I became the captain of the Knights of Fianna.

Grr, no more humblebragging! You can be humble, or you can brag, but not both at the same time!

And what is it you're pondering with your salmon-imparted wisdom right now, anyway!?

I'm looking at the facts of this case, of course. There are any number of ways to learn about the past.

Some use Mystic Eyes or crystals to view it directly. Others use accurate information and a reconstruction.

I favor the latter method, of course. Here in this lookout tower, I was able to recreate the Enma-tei's previous state in my mind.

？！

Oh, I already knew that beyond any doubt. No, I merely wanted to know what the room looked like back then.

As long as I can calculate that, all that remains is to resolve this to the best of our shared ability.

You mean, as in all of us...?

That's right. Figuring the one responsible was easy, but proving it will be far more difficult.

Not even collecting all five treasures will be enough to handle everything.

"Hmm, I see. Yes, these are indeed five treasures, but they are not the ones I had stolen."

"They may be the same objects, but their value differs greatly. I don't want just any old treasures returned to me. They must be the ones that were taken."

If the bamboo cutter counters along those linesand make no mistake, he almost certainly willwe won't have a leg to stand on.

So, you're saying the bamboo cutter never actually wanted to be compensated for his treasures? That he was actually after the Enma-tei from the start?

I believe so. I think he is only pretending to act in good faith, and is actually running a scam.

Then, if the five treasures still won't be enough to convince him, what else can we do...?

Easy. We fight cunning with cunning.

In fact, the reason I asked you all here was to help me prepare one last finishing touch.

Oh, by the way, Kiyohime, is it true you can tell when someone is lying?

Of course. I've never let any man get away with a falsehood.

Hmm. What about Madam Beni-Enma? Is she capable of seeing through lies, too?

No, Ms. Beni-Enma doesn't have any such ability. She just punishes people when they're caught lying.

She learned her Enjaku Battoujutsu from the Great King Enma himself.

Once it becomes clear that someone is lying, that's when she'll cut off their tongue on the spot.

Good, good. That should help push the one responsible over the edge. All right everyone, gather round and I'll explain the plan.

In essence, we'll all be putting on a performance. Or, in the language of a middle-aged man we know, a con.

...Fou?