chapter 20
whereabouts of the picture
I looked up at the sky and muttered.
“The moon is beautiful.”
[That’s a romantic confession.]
It wasn’t a confession, I just said what I felt while looking up at the moon.
The rising moon in the night sky was really beautiful. It was such a pretty moon that I didn’t get tired of looking at it in vain all the time.
Still, now is the time to start.
[Are you all ready?]
“yes. Perfect.”
I looked down. A crowd gathered around the museum.
Among them, there were police who grind their teeth to catch me, and there were bystanders who just came to see the phantom thief.
The audience had already finished their seats.
All that’s left is to perform on stage.
I decided to put aside complicated thoughts for a while. It’s not a matter of concern right now what the identity of the girl in the class is.
I put on my hat and smiled.
“Let’s get started.”
I had a feeling that this magic show would be a huge success.
***
A woman in a police uniform scratched her head nervously.
“Block people out. Get it under proper control.”
“yes! All right!”
“Like a damn thief.”
Cursing at Raven, Gadget smoked a cigarette.
Nicotine, which enters deep into the lungs, calms the mind.
Phantom Thief Raven only announces the date and does not specify the specific time period. However, since he has always been active at night, it is not difficult to guess that he will appear gradually.
“It’s a very chaotic market.”
The number of police personnel deployed this time was counted as a handful in history. It’s hard to believe the scale is enough to arrest just one criminal.
In addition to that, when reporters and onlookers who came after smelling the scoop were added together, it was crowded.
This situation may actually work in his favor.
In particular, there are rumors that the guy is also using the same makeup technique, so you have to be extra careful.
Gadget looked around and muttered a little.
“Did she not come?”
A detective girl with blonde hair and emerald eyes. Even though her personality is quite peculiar, she sincerely acknowledged her abilities, so I felt regretful inside.
‘Well, in this situation, there is nothing that can be done.’
In the first place, the job of a detective is somewhat far from being arrested on the spot. Even if it’s about tracking down a crime that has already happened and finding the culprit through reasoning.
“Whoa.”
Gadget extinguished his cigarette and entered the museum.
What caught my eye at a glance was the strict security around the ‘Lighthouse on a Stormy Night’, which Raven had been aiming for.
It was so strong that he was determined not to allow even a single ant.
Words of overinvestment or inefficiency did not matter in the present situation. Now that the whole country’s attention is focused on this place, it’s hard to imagine what would happen if the phantom thief was lost.
good night. At this rate, no matter how many people, stealing a painting would be unheard of.
That was then.
Pot!
Suddenly, the inside of the museum became dark with a sound as if something was cut off.
The lights were turned off all at once.
In the chaotic situation, Gadget shouted loudly.
“Don’t panic! Turn on the emergency lights you have prepared!”
This situation was already in mind. In particular, Gadget, who had suffered the same troubles in the same way in the previous sewer system, had no choice but to put up a defense.
In case of any unforeseen circumstances, special lighting operated by magic was set, so the museum immediately regained its light.
However, the show had already started.
“What···!?”
A brief moment of just over 5 seconds.
At that moment, the painting disappeared without a trace.
Everyone was astonished to see the wall that became flat in an instant. No one knew what the hell method was used.
“What the hell is this…”
“The sensor didn’t even sound!”
“But without magic, this is impossible…!”
A situation that could not be explained if it was not magic even though the magic detector did not sound.
While everyone was unable to escape from the shock of this amazing magic show, a cry that could not be ignored was heard from outside.
“It’s a phantom thief Raven!”
“I’m holding a picture!!”
Those words were enough. Without hesitation, Gadget immediately gave orders to his subordinates.
“Chase all Ravens!”
She also took the lead and ran out of the museum.
A familiar silhouette stood carefreely on the roof of the building opposite the people’s eyes.
A police flashlight illuminated him, and soon his figure became clear.
A man in a black silk hat and fluttering cloak. The painting in his hand was the ‘Lighthouse on a Stormy Night’ that was in the museum until just before the fire.
“Follow me now!”
Of course, I couldn’t just leave it and watch it. The police moved in unison and formed a siege to catch Raven.
Gadget, too, with a gun in one hand, tried to head towards the building on the other side. Unless someone grabbed her by the shoulder from behind.
She turned around, frowned at the interruption that came in at the moment when Hansi was rushed.
However, as soon as he saw the owner of the hand, Gadget’s expression changed drastically.
“Sherlock?”
“You can’t chase it.”
“yes?”
“That’s fake.”
It was confusing.
What do you mean by fake?
Not only her but everyone around saw the figure of the phantom thief on the roof.
It was by no means anything like the crude inflatable dolls used before. Regardless of his posture or movement, it was clear that he was a living human being.
“Are you talking about a band?”
“no. Perhaps the man on the roof was Raven.”
“Do you know what you sound like now?”
You said it was fake a few seconds ago, but now Raven is right.
Gadget was just confused as to which rhythm to match.
“I was saying the picture was fake, not Raven.”
“Is the picture fake?”
It reminded me of the last time I had just seen it.
Obviously, the painting was exactly the same as the one he knew.
“How did you know that the painting was fake?”
“I reasoned with my magic.”
“That’s an easy answer.”
Gadget glanced at the opposite building.
The time for something to change has long passed. The moment she was caught by the detective girl, it was impossible for her to arrest the phantom thief herself.
Reluctantly, I decided to leave it to my subordinates and listen to Sherlock in detail.
“I guess that’s right. Where are the real paintings?”
“The painting didn’t go anywhere.”
Am I deliberately twisting my words to make you angry?
It was such an enigmatic answer that I seriously doubted it.
“Sherlock. The picture is gone.”
“no. The lighthouse has stayed in place all this time. Follow me.”
The detective trudged down to the museum, leaving only those words.
Looking at the girl’s back, Gadget smiled involuntarily.
What is the audacity of casually entering an area controlled by the general public?
Anyone who sees it would know that she’s his supervisor’s cop.
The art gallery was empty.
That was natural. The picture to be protected has already disappeared, and the culprit is on the run, so everyone, except for the minimum man guarding the door, chased after the phantom thief.
In addition, the museum was quite dark and had a gloomy atmosphere.
This was because the magic lights prepared for emergencies were installed only around the painting due to the limited quantity.
They walked to the location where the painting was.
The unfolding scenery was the same as before. In the place where the painting should have been, only the white wall took its place.
“Now, where is the lighthouse?”
“The lights go off and only five seconds. In the meantime, is it possible to completely steal the painting and run to the roof on the other side without using any magic?”
“·················ogue.”
That’s impossible with common sense.
However, didn’t the phantom thief Raven break through that common sense?
“What if the painting wasn’t actually stolen? What if it was just decorated as if the painting had disappeared?”
“What does that mean…. ah.”
The counter door that was flying towards Sherlock was cut off.
It was because the gadget, who was looking intently at the wall where the painting had disappeared, found something.
👌👌👌👌👌
Gadget found a clue in the gap and roughly ripped the wall off.
Then the wall was torn and fluttered helplessly.
No, it can’t be called a ‘wall’ that flaps and rips so easily.
“It’s kind of a veil. It was created as if the painting had disappeared through a screen that looked exactly like the wall of an art gallery.”
“···Unbelievable.”
The ‘Lighthouse on a Stormy Night’ was still standing inside the screen.
“It must have been designed to turn off the lights and put a screen at the same time. This screen should have been installed on the ceiling side with the notice the day before.”
Sherlock’s reasoning continued.
“Just like the detective did, you can easily spot it with a little careful observation. However, it is not easy to observe calmly in this urgent situation. Especially when you hear that Raven appeared from outside right after the painting disappeared.”
It was the perfect trick that everyone forgot.
“The picture has already been stolen and the culprit is on the other side. Naturally, the cost of protecting the art museum is inevitably extremely lax in an instant. Raven must have been trying to get away with the painting at the right time after escaping the police.”
only one. Except for Sherlock.
“…how did you figure it all out?”
“I was observing.”
and.
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Match. match. match.
Applause echoed through the silent museum.
Last night, in the hand of the statue holding the notice, a man was sitting and smiling.
It was the appearance of the phantom thief Raven.