Director Edward

Chapter 211: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (9)

In the video, facing Enjou Tomoe's confusion, Ryougi Shiki explained in a step-by-step tone:

"Didn't that elevator stop functioning for a while? In truth, all of this was a mechanism designed to reverse the two buildings. The circular shape of the elevator, the noises it makes—all of it is just for show. Even the second floor being unused serves the same purpose. The elevator rotates half a turn without the passengers noticing, which would require leaving at least one floor's worth of space."

"So—are you saying this is actually my home?"

"Yes, to be precise, it's the home you lived in for just one month. After you had stayed here for a month, the elevator's exit direction was altered. Most likely, the stairs were adjusted in tandem with the elevator's operation."

"That's impossible! People would notice something like that, wouldn't they?"

"Normally, yes. But this place isn't ordinary—it's a barrier. Look outside the window. The same square buildings surround this place on all sides, offering no distinct landmarks. Inside the apartment, the walls are divided in a way that blends together, and the cream-colored walls are littered with strange shapes. This subtly burdens the retina without you realizing it. Since there's no small anomaly to catch your attention, you fail to notice the larger one."

With that, Ryougi Shiki led Enjou Tomoe to the room at the end of the corridor and said loudly:

"I'm opening it now. After six months, this is finally your home again, Enjou!"

Before the boy could fully react, Ryougi decisively used the key to unlock the door.

They stepped into the room, turned on the light, and what followed was Enjou Tomoe's gasp of shock.

"I... I knew it... I really did kill them…"

"They've probably been dead for about six months."

On the other side, Ryougi Shiki calmly observed the two corpses before her, her expression utterly composed. It was as though she were looking at some kind of foreign object as her eyes rested on the bodies lying on the floor.

...

The mystery of the apartment shocked the majority of the audience. Once the logic described in the story was roughly understood, anyone could appreciate the brilliance of its design.

Even the nobles who had initially scorned the film fell silent. The feeling of being utterly proven wrong left those who had criticized the story for being "illogical" completely speechless and without any retort.

Of course, even in this situation, there were still a few stubborn nobles unwilling to give up. They stared intently at the screen, determined to find flaws in the film no matter what.

Such individuals, in a way, had become obsessed, losing their basic judgment. Even if the film were absolutely flawless, they wouldn't change their minds. Instead, they would scrutinize every tiny detail through their narrow perspective, trying to find evidence to support their preconceived notions.

The best way to deal with such people was to simply ignore them, letting them jump around like clowns without receiving any acknowledgment. Eventually, shame and frustration would silence them.

But if faced with someone whose persistence only grew stronger the more they were ignored, the only remaining solution might be a physical method to shut them up!

As a modern person with extensive experience navigating online debates in his previous life, Durin was well aware of this principle. Thus, he ignored these nobles—practically no different from clowns—and turned to Winry beside him, complaining:

"Building this apartment was no small feat back then. The Empire's construction techniques couldn't even support a building this tall. I eventually found a team of dwarf craftsmen traveling through the eastern region and paid them a fortune to help complete the project."

"I see. Lord Edward, you've worked so hard," Winry replied habitually, offering comfort despite not fully understanding how difficult the process had been.

Then, the First Duke of the Southern Region, Arcueid, suddenly interjected:

"What? For a tall building like this, couldn't you just use magic to build it directly?"

"??? Use magic? What kind of magic are you talking about?"

"Plenty! For example, earth-element forbidden spells, aether from special elements, or even lost magic like fantasy manifestation…"

"Uh… Are those things even possible for an ordinary mage?"

"Why? They can't?"

Faced with Arcueid's rhetorical question, Durin was momentarily stunned.

After all, the Imperial Mage Academy currently lacked an earth-element Archmage.

While Dean Hohenheim was an Archmage of all elements, he had never delved into earth-element forbidden spells.

As for the special element aether, historical records did mention mages using it, but the numerous restrictions on its use had rendered it virtually extinct.

And that last one—fantasy manifestation—its very existence in the world was questionable.

Thus, when this vampire True Ancestor casually spoke of such things, Durin couldn't help but start questioning his own understanding of the world.

In contrast, Arcueid herself seemed to pause for a moment, then held her forehead apologetically and said:

"Sorry, I forgot this is the Human Empire. Because of my long slumber, I sometimes experience phases of memory disarray. Memories of living in the Human Empire and those of my time in the Chaos Realm often overlap, causing discrepancies in my understanding of common sense. Yes, this is the Human Empire, where humanity's strongest individuals are barely at the sixth tier. It's impossible for anyone here to wield aether or master fantasy manifestation…"

"This…"

Hearing Arcueid's self-reflection, Durin's eyes couldn't help but light up.

The Chaos Realm was a topic known to only a very select few in this world. Even the Headless Horseman had merely lingered on its outskirts without venturing into its core.

Laetitia, who had been to the Chaos Realm, had always refused to speak about it, leaving Durin unable to learn anything about that mysterious place.

So when Arcueid mentioned it, he couldn't resist the urge to probe further and learn more about the Chaos Realm from this vampire True Ancestor.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be an unspoken rule among those who had visited the Chaos Realm—whether it was Laetitia or Arcueid, neither was willing to reveal any details about that enigmatic land.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Durin was forced to abandon his inquiries and refocus his attention on the film.

At this moment, on the screen, Ryougi Shiki and Enjou Tomoe were discussing the truth behind the apartment.

Suddenly, a bizarre figure emerged from the shadows and, with terrifying speed, lunged at Enjou Tomoe.

In an instant, every viewer felt their hair stand on end, a chill running down their spines as a deep, visceral fear gripped them.

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