Super God: If I punch you, you will die

Due to Kinzo Ushiromiya's personal preference, this gun was modified to use .45 Cortach cartridges.

The magazine capacity is 4+1 rounds.

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October 5th, 13:00

Sun. October 5, 1986

After lunch, the servants cleared away the tableware and stayed in the kitchen.

The wind and rain never intensify or diminish, always isolating this island from the outside world.

Princess Natsumi Ushiro initially seemed unwilling to let anyone leave the living room, only realizing this was impossible when it was time to prepare lunch.

But she ordered three maids to go with her, not allowing anyone to be alone in the kitchen. Therefore, in the living room, which was crammed with eleven people and made the air feel stuffy, the first to be allowed to leave were the three maids. Given the tragedy that had occurred that morning, no one had eaten much breakfast, so everyone ate their lunch in silence.

"I'll wash the dishes. Please, Genji and Kaon, rest for a bit. What would you like to drink?"

"I don't need it anymore. What about Jiayin?"

"I don't need it either."

"You two have been running around since early morning, no wonder you're exhausted."

The only sound in the kitchen was the sound of Kumazawa washing dishes. Genji and Kaon sat on chairs a little further away, resting with their eyes closed.

Xiong Ze was right; they were both undoubtedly exhausted. But no matter how tired they were, they couldn't show it in front of their master—that was their virtue. After a moment of silence, Jia Yin spoke up, albeit haltingly.

"Sane. Why did she die so tragically?"

"You have to forget how she died; she was just unlucky."

"That's true, she's just unlucky."

The two fell silent again, Jia Yin's expression one of deep sorrow.

"Sane is dead. I still can't believe it. She was so pitiful. I can't believe I'll never see her again. I wanted to see her smile one more time."

Kumazawa said this with his back to them. It was precisely because Kumazawa hadn't seen Shanin's body that he could say he wanted to see her smile one last time. Hearing this, Kain recalled Shanin's face, now only half visible, and her expression became even more sorrowful.

"Why did Miss Beaterich choose Sanon, a living sacrifice? There were so many other people she could have chosen. Why? Why?"

"It was just bad luck. Maybe with just a small difference, I or you would have been the one lying there instead of Shanin."

It might be someone else; it's all fate.

"Steward Genji, you mentioned that there were bloodstains on the madam's door, right? Are those marks the same as the patterns drawn on the roll-up door?"

"Those marks are disgusting, it's like you tried to tear the doorknob off with blood-stained fingers, no, it's more like you tried to tear the door apart, that's why you left such disgusting marks."

"Does this mean that Miss Beatrice went to the lady's room and tried to open the door, but couldn't?"

Genji recalled the blood-like marks on the door of Princess Natsumi's room, the bloodstains around the doorknob, and the scratch marks left behind. It did look like someone wanted to open the door but couldn't.

"Why? The lady doesn't have to be a living sacrifice. If the lady were chosen, Shana... Shana wouldn't have to die." At that moment, crisp footsteps came from the corridor, and the two turned around in surprise.

"Your conversation is really interesting, let me join in."

Before they knew it, Lin Yan's figure had already appeared at the kitchen entrance.

"Young Master Lin Yan, we apologize for our rudeness."

Yuan Cibo and Jiayin stood up in shock and bowed their heads to apologize to Lin Yan. But he didn't care about such a trivial matter; what mattered now was the topic they had just been discussing.

"I said I needed to use the restroom, so I slipped out. After all, being locked up in there all the time would really suffocate. I just wanted to ask for a drink of water, but I ended up hearing such an interesting topic. Don't bother with all this formality, just keep talking about what we were saying."

"The topic we just discussed was nothing special."

“I heard everything, so stop hiding it from me. I’ll just get straight to the point: who exactly is Beatrice? She doesn’t seem to be just a witch from a fairy tale.”

"..."

Jia Yin looked away; he clearly didn't want me to ask that question, which made me even more eager to ask.

Lin Yan forced a smile, grabbed his collar, and asked.

“Until last night, I really had no say in this matter. But it’s been different since this morning. Since Dad and the others were killed, this matter has become very important. It sounds so suspicious, I think I should have the right to get involved.”

Jiayin still looked away uncomfortably, while I stared into his eyes. Because of their significant height difference, Jiayin was being lifted up on tiptoe, which made her look a little uncomfortable.

"Brother Lin Yan, please let him go. Jia Yin isn't hiding anything."

"What's wrong with telling me? Being ostracized is very lonely."

Lin Yan wanted to twist Jia Yin's collar even harder, but Yuan Cibo intervened and stopped him.

“We could say it, but saying it might upset Young Master Lin Yan, which is why Jia Yin hesitated.”

His expression showed a hint of understanding, and he didn't seem to intend to hide it.

"What's there for a man to hesitate about? It's only making me more unhappy if you keep it from me. Just tell me. Anyway, we don't have anything to do until tomorrow. Even if it sounds fake, at least it'll help relieve some boredom."

Genji and Kaon exchanged a glance, then nodded to each other with expressions of mental preparation.

"I understand. Please feel free to ask any questions, young master, and I will answer them truthfully."

"Alright, then I'll ask you this: who exactly is this Beatrice? From what I've heard, she's a witch who lives in the forest on Rokkenjima. It's said that my grandmother made up this story because she was afraid we'd be in danger if we went into the forest. Is that true?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with that. That's just how it is. Miss Beatrice is indeed a witch who lives in the forest of Rokkenjima."

“Young Master Lin Yan, you may not believe it right away, but Miss Beatrice really exists. She is a real person who bestowed a huge amount of gold upon the Master and has served by his side for many years.”

"Come on, come on. If you're going to use Grandpa's words to justify your job, that's part of your paycheck."

Lin Yan tried to make a joke, but neither Yuan Cibo, Jia Yin, nor even Xiong Zepo, who quickly looked away to wash the dishes, laughed. So he could only laugh by himself, a bitter laugh.

"I see. No wonder Genji-haku made a solemn declaration first. If you are still of sound mind, it is indeed unsettling. In other words, this person named Beatetrich really exists?"

Lin Yan's question was answered by Yuan Ci.

"Yes. She has been serving the master since before he built this house on this island, and I believe she has served him longer than I have."

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"How could this be? This time, Sister Wujiang's assumption was completely wrong. It turns out that Grandpa really did have a confidante named Beatrice, so she's on the island now."

This time, Jia Yin answered.

"Yes, I think she's there."

"You're being really vague. Just because you say that doesn't mean you didn't actually see her these past two days?"

"Yes, it's very inconvenient to say this, I don't know."

As Jiayin spoke, she lowered her head and looked away.

"What's wrong? Don't just stop halfway through. How unpleasant is it to be kept in suspense?"

Lin Yan urged him to continue, jokingly, but Jia Yin seemed hesitant, unsure whether to speak.

At this point, Granny Xiong Ze started talking intermittently.

"Even if I wanted to see her, Miss Beatrice had no physical form."

"Body form, what did you say?"

Yuan Cibo continued speaking for Xiong Zepo.

“Miss Beatrice has no physical body, so unless Miss Beatrice shows herself, we ordinary people can’t even see her.”

"I heard that the portrait is of Miss Beatrice when she was still human. I heard that she misses what she looked like back then and often stands in front of the portrait to admire it, hehehe."

After Xiong Ze finished speaking, Jia Yin took over.

“Miss Beatrice sometimes appears as a glowing butterfly. We have a rule that if you see such a butterfly in the main house, you must never chase it. It is said that chasing it will bring misfortune. And there really was a servant who broke this taboo and was seriously injured and had to resign.”

"Really? Are you serious about what you're saying?"

“Young Master Lin Yan, Miss Beatrice has arrived. I think it’s really inappropriate for you to say such things.”

“Miss Beaterich dislikes those who offend her, and anyone who doubts her existence will surely suffer misfortune.”

“Young Master Lin Yan, I’m sure you find these statements very uncomfortable. However, Miss Beatrice is ‘there’.”

“She really is there. Miss Beatrix especially hates it when people doubt that.”

"Young Master Lin Yan, don't you know? Miss Beate Tricky is already here."

"Come on, I'm terrified of ghost stories like this. Don't scare me." But there wasn't a trace of a joke in the eyes of the three servants.

Lin Yan's forced smile grew increasingly dry.

Their eyes were becoming increasingly dry.

"Brother Lin Yan, I'm begging you, please don't offend Miss Beatrice. I won't lie to you."

Xiong Ze is usually so cheerful and loves to joke around, but now he says these words with a dry expression that he has never shown before.

"Well, you're saying she's there, but I clearly can't see anything. Are you suggesting she's standing right next to me? Don't be ridiculous."

"..."

At that moment, that unsettling laughter echoed through the kitchen.

Turning around, I realized that Maria was already standing at the entrance.

But her expression, the atmosphere, and the aura she exuded were exactly the same as those of the servants.

"Whether your wavelengths match or not is determined by your birth. Lin Yan, you were born with an incompatible wavelength, so you can't see her, can't meet her, and can't talk to her. Beatrice hates your type the most."

Maria seemed to be laughing because she found it funny, but her smile was unsettling. The way she laughed was as if she were mocking me for being the only one among them who knew nothing.

"You want to know about Beatrice? Beatrice is a witch who has lived for a thousand years. Not only can she command any demon, but her alchemy is also unparalleled. She can create the Philosopher's Stone and large quantities of gold. It was because Grandpa made a contract with her that he was able to build up immense wealth for the Ushiromiya family. Didn't I read Beatrice's letter yesterday? Everything in the letter is true. However, it's probably asking Lin Yan to believe all of this, since you were born without any so-called sixth sense."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Witch? Demon? Who told you that?"

“Beatel herself told me.”

Maria continued to emit that unsettling laughter. But the servants, watching her like this, didn't even flinch.

She said these things were told to her by none other than the witch in the portrait hanging in the entryway, and she kept laughing in a strange voice.

"Maria, I know it's pointless to ask, but I still want to ask one more time: who gave you that letter yesterday?"

"Beatel gave it to me. How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? You definitely don't understand, right? After all, you can't see it and you can't believe it, hee hee."

At this point, Maria suddenly stopped laughing.

"Lin Yan, don't you understand? Don't you understand that Miss Beatrice is really 'present'?"

"At? Where?"

“Miss Beatrice is ‘here’.”

Looking back now, I realized that I had noticed the servants' gazes had wandered off. Lin Yan had initially thought they were just spacing out, but that wasn't the case.

The four people who were staying here—Genji, Kaon, Kumazawa, and Maria—were all looking behind Lin Yan, except for him. He swallowed hard, slowly turned his head, and looked over his shoulder.

"Beatrice lived for a thousand years and was a great golden witch, but she could only make herself visible or speak to people whose wavelengths matched hers. This made her very sad, and that's why she hated having her existence denied by someone like Lin Yan, who was born without any magical talent. Lin Yan, you're very lucky. You should be grateful you got the amulet from me yesterday. If you hadn't been carrying the amulet, no one would have known you were under some kind of curse from Beatrice. Lin Yan, you're really lucky."

"You mean that scorpion keychain? I thought it was some cheap prize from an amusement park. Now that you mention it, it really did bring me good fortune?"

"If it weren't for this talisman, Lin Yan, you would be lying in that warehouse right now, your face smashed to pieces. Lin Yan, you're really lucky."

"Really? You mean if it weren't for that thing, I'd be dead by now."

"Why won't Lin Yan believe Beatrice? She's clearly 'there,' look, she's standing right there. Okay, do you believe me now? Believe me, you should thank Maria for giving you the amulet and believing in her existence. If it weren't for the amulet, you might already be lying in the warehouse, while someone else is fine?" Lin Yan finally couldn't help but laugh.

Her witch-playing act was quite interesting for the first half, but unfortunately, it seems she eventually gave herself away.

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"Hahaha... That won't work at all, Maria. I'm sorry, your approach is completely untenable."

Maria saw Lin Yan suddenly burst into laughter, so she stopped laughing. It was clear she didn't understand what I was laughing at, and she became very unhappy.

"..."

"I was afraid of hurting your feelings, so I didn't want to tell you. Actually, the amulet you gave me, I thought I had it in my pocket, but it's completely lost. So, I'm fine now not because of the amulet. And I should have been cursed by the witch, but I'm perfectly fine. Sorry, I only believe what I see with my own eyes. Sixth sense? Wavelength? Magical talent? Sorry, I don't believe any of that nonsense. Every time the girls in my class talk about whether someone has a supernatural ability, I feel like throwing up. I don't know how much you guys are paid by Grandpa, but you'd better remember, it's not that easy to drag me into some weird religion."

"Young Master Lin Yan."