Chapter 73 Philip Mitchell
I was like the only spotlight in the center of the stage—'whoosh'—suddenly everyone's eyes were on me.
Looking at all those faces, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I let out a soft laugh and clapped my hands. The sound rang out crisply twice in the silent room, and even I thought it sounded a bit pretentious. But I couldn't help it—this whole situation was just too ridiculous. I stepped forward, moving into an even more prominent position.
With just that one step, I could feel the muscles in my face subtly adjusting. I didn't need a mirror to know that Carl's usually gentle and harmless professor face now wore something completely foreign to its "original owner"—something even I found nauseating: confidence, or rather, an almost arrogant air!
"Ladies and gentlemen..." My voice wasn't loud, but I made sure everyone could hear me. "...and our most esteemed Ms. York." At the end, I turned with particular elegance—even a bit theatrically—and gave Anna a slight bow.
I could just imagine Carl watching this, definitely giving me full marks for these moves—though he himself probably wouldn't do this even if you beat him to death. Anna was clearly stunned for a moment, probably thrown off by my sudden change in style, but her upbringing immediately kicked in. She lifted her non-existent skirt and returned a standard, slightly suspicious curtsy.
Alright, opening complete.
I took a deep breath, letting my expression return to an extreme calm.
"In fact," I said slowly, word by word, "I've already seen through the entire truth."
My tone was completely flat, but each word I spoke was like a nail, hammering one by one into the dead-silent air. I saw their pupils contract.
I raised my hand and glanced at my wrist where there was no watch at all—this gesture was purely for show, to ease my inner urge to mock myself. "Although they say 'reasoning should come after dinner,' the situation is special now, so I'll reluctantly provide early service... By the way, I'm in a hurry and really don't have time to keep playing with you all. So—" I paused, emphasizing my words, "let's end this boring and annoying farce once and for all!"
"Actually, the way to end this hellhole's mutual suspicion and endless fighting is so damn simple it's insulting to our intelligence." I spread my hands and shrugged, the movement so smooth I surprised myself—probably Carl's muscle memory at work. "We don't need to rack our brains figuring out who the killer is, how they did it, who the next target is... We just need to ask one simple question."
I deliberately paused here again, my gaze sweeping over each of them.
"It's just that," I sighed, using an almost pitying tone, "we've all been so confused by the endless murders and mysteries that from the very beginning, we collectively overlooked something—something that should be absolutely basic in the wizarding world."
Before I finished speaking, I had already turned around, my gaze shooting straight toward Anna. This future iron-fisted headmistress is currently a noble young lady.
"Ms. York," I began, direct to the point of rudeness, "I have a very, very basic question for you: In the wizarding world, is there a kind of magic that doesn't require complex incantations or troublesome contracts, but can directly reveal someone's 'true name'?"
A flash of light instantly crossed Anna's azure eyes. Smart people don't need to waste words. She understood almost immediately what I wanted to do, and her hands moved faster than her brain could even form an expression of "sudden realization."
Without a word, her right hand had already reached naturally into her small leather bag that looked tiny but probably contained another dimensional space. Among a pile of who-knows-what—handkerchiefs, powder compacts, or maybe small alchemical bombs (just guessing)—she accurately pulled something out.
It was a flat piece of jade, an exceptionally pure and warm emerald green color, with no artificial carving marks, only naturally formed ripple-like patterns.
Anna didn't look at me. Her slender fingers lightly brushed across the jade tablet's surface. The subtle flash of flowing magic flickered at her fingertips and disappeared, leaving an extremely faint, almost invisible, strange mark on the smooth surface—something like a rune, or perhaps some kind of instant authentication magic.
After completing all this, she looked up and only then explained to me, speaking quickly but clearly, "Hold it and simply ask the holder for their real name. If they answer with the 'true name' given at birth and inscribed upon their soul by the laws of magic, it will emit a pure white light; conversely, if they lie and give a false name, alias, or any name not recognized by their soul, it will immediately flash a red warning light."
Having said that, she handed the emerald jade tablet to me without hesitation, her movement decisive, her eyes carrying a clear instruction—go test it.
"Thank you very much, Ms. York." I took the warm, slightly cool jade tablet, feeling the lingering warmth from Anna's fingertips and a trace of stern magical energy. I showed Anna a perfect smile belonging to a "proper subordinate," but the curve of my lips was controlled just right—no trace of flattery, only the precision of completing a task.
Then, without giving anyone else in the room any time to react or raise objections—if any of these people started with "this might invade privacy/violate ancient wizard traditions/trigger some defense mechanism" or other such bullshit, we'd be arguing for another half hour, and I didn't have time for that!
I just directly extended the jade tablet and held it out to...
Austin.
Everyone's heart probably skipped half a beat in that instant.
The air froze so thick you could wring water from it. The atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing again, even colder and heavier than before. Even the sound of dust falling seemed to disappear.
My face still wore that damned, gentle-enough-to-fool-ghosts expression, my tone steady without a ripple, even carrying a hint of invitation, "Austin... How about... you try this thing and see if it works? Don't worry, just hold it and say something, very simple."
The more casual my tone, the more heart-stopping the content. This was equivalent to pointing at his nose and asking: You, state your true name, verify it now! Verify it on the spot! In front of everyone, not giving you a shred of chance to fake it!
And Austin, who had been silent all along, finally lifted his head.
He didn't panic, didn't question, didn't even bother to fake a bit of "what do you mean by this" surprise.
He looked at me and actually... laughed.
Not an angry or mocking laugh, but more like meeting a worthy opponent, or seeing a wonderful performance—a genuine, appreciative... amused laugh.
Then, under everyone's breathless gaze, he walked over almost lazily yet without hesitation, step by step, stopping right in front of me. Close enough that I could see the faint stubble on his chin and the undisguised scrutiny in his eyes.
He reached out his hand, not carefully like someone receiving a precious object, but simply "grasped" the jade tablet in his palm. That movement carried a kind of... how to put it, sense of control? Or rather, a composure that didn't take this test seriously at all?
The entire room was so quiet you could only hear suppressed breathing. Selene gripped her wand tightly. Armando was equally ready to strike, but Olivia's eyes were still fixed on Selene.
Austin held the jade tablet as if it weren't a magical artifact that could verify lies, but just a cold ornament. He didn't even adjust his breathing, terrifyingly calm, and in a tone as ordinary as announcing "we're having mashed potatoes for lunch," he said clearly:
"My true name is Philip Mitchell."