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In the back garden, Montoya stared blankly at the empty space before taking out her walkie-talkie to contact Gordon.
"Commissioner, there's been no sign of Kaitou Kid. He may have changed his point of entry…"
Just as Montoya finished her report, subordinates from other positions began sending in updates to Gordon one after another.
There was no trace of Kaitou Kid anywhere in the Vanafor Family Estate.
What was going on?
Gordon's brow furrowed deeply as he glanced back at Samantha.
That priceless emerald necklace hung quietly around her neck.
"See, Mr. Gordon? I told you Kaitou Kid wouldn't actually show up. He's just a thief. How could he possibly break through the defenses of this estate?"
Samantha was not surprised in the slightest that Kaitou Kid had failed to appear as promised.
"The last time he managed to steal the Tear of the Goddess from the Gotham Museum of Art was probably only because the museum's security was outdated and hadn't been upgraded in time, giving him a loophole to exploit."
Gordon neither agreed nor disagreed with Samantha's assessment.
Others might not know, but he had personally witnessed the elusive methods Kaitou Kid had used to obtain the Tear of the Goddess.
There was no point in arguing with Samantha about it, so Gordon said nothing.
The question now was, where exactly was Kaitou Kid?
Was it really as Samantha believed, that he had been intimidated by the heavy security of the Vanafor Family Estate and abandoned his plan to steal the emerald necklace?
Or was Kaitou Kid planning to violate his own Notice and appear suddenly once everyone was convinced he was not coming?
For some reason, Gordon felt the truth was not that simple.
"All right, the Kaitou Kid situation is over, and it's time to prepare for the banquet. I still have some arrangements to make for tonight, so please don't follow me for now, Mr. Gordon."
After saying that, Samantha turned to leave.
"Wait. What if Kaitou Kid is just waiting for us to lower our guard—"
Before Gordon could finish his warning, Samantha interrupted him.
"It's fine, Mr. Gordon. The Vanafor Family isn't so strapped for resources that we can't afford a personal bodyguard. William will be responsible for my protection."
As she spoke, a burly man with a cold expression appeared seemingly out of nowhere and bowed respectfully to Samantha.
"Who is this?"
Gordon was startled by the man's sudden appearance.
"This is my bodyguard, William. He has actually been nearby protecting me these past two days," Samantha introduced.
Gordon sized William up in surprise. He had never noticed this man at his side.
How could someone with such a large build conceal himself so effectively?
Then again, Batman was even bulkier and still moved like a ghost.
Thinking of Batman's elusive nature, Gordon's mind settled, and the shock no longer seemed so great.
Inside the banquet hall, Tim sat at a dining table, cutting into a steak while a wave of frustration welled up inside him.
"It's been over an hour since nightfall, and tonight's banquet has already begun, yet there's still no sign of Kaitou Kid. Did he really give up?"
His eyes kept sweeping over the waiters moving back and forth around him.
"No. Although Kaitou Kid only has one previous record, judging by his actions during that first crime, he's not just bold. He's extremely intelligent. He must have planned everything thoroughly before acting."
"The security at the Vanafor Family Estate is indeed tight, but I don't think it's enough to make Kaitou Kid retreat."
"He will come today. He definitely will."
Tim was certain of it.
"But why didn't he show up when night fell?"
Could the Notice have been a feint? Had Kaitou Kid never intended to follow it from the beginning?
If that were the case, a week ago would have been the most suitable time to target the necklace. There was no reason to delay until now.
"Unless… our interpretation of the Notice is wrong!"
The thought suddenly surfaced in Tim's mind.
But how could that be?
"When Sköll and the Norse mythology wolf cross for the thirteenth time,
The fragile mistletoe is stained with blood,
I shall step upon the swaying road to heaven,
And attend the eternal feast of Valhalla,
To take away the cursed May Stone."
Thirteen crossings meant thirteen cycles of day and night. Mistletoe stained with blood was a metaphor for the arrival of night. The eternal feast referred to the commemorative banquet, and the cursed May Stone was the emerald necklace Samantha wore.
As for the swaying road to heaven, the GCPD interpreted it as a colorful hot air balloon. Tim had reservations about that explanation.
But even setting aside the controversial third line, the interpretations of the other parts should not have been wrong. Otherwise, there was no explanation that fit better.
No matter which road to heaven Kaitou Kid intended to take, he should have appeared in the banquet hall the moment night fell today.
However, the reality was that he had not.
"Let's assume for now that our understanding of the other lines is flawed. If that's the case, then no one can be certain when or where Kaitou Kid will appear…"
Wait.
The timing might be uncertain, but the location was not.
The emerald necklace.
Since he could no longer intercept him at the starting point, the only option left was to wait for the target at the destination.
"Ms. Samantha's location is…"
Tim's eyes immediately began searching the crowd for Samantha.
Just then, the crisp sound of high heels echoed from above.
Samantha, dressed in a magnificent gown, slowly descended the stairs and appeared before everyone in the hall.
William followed closely behind her, keeping exactly three steps of distance.
"You have all spent a day and a night at the Vanafor Family Estate. I hope our hospitality has met your expectations," Samantha said with a smile as she addressed the crowd.
Guests throughout the banquet hall responded one after another, voicing their satisfaction.
"At yesterday's banquet, we discussed quite a bit of business, which made the atmosphere a little too serious. That was not the full intent of this commemorative banquet, so today, everyone should relax and treat this as a gathering among friends."
"I've decided that in a little while, we will hold a ball—"
CLANCK! Woosh!
At that very instant, without any warning, a sudden change occurred.
The lights throughout the entire banquet hall abruptly went out, plunging the scene into darkness.
At the same time, a magnetic voice echoed through the hall.
"Ladies~~~ and~ gentlemen!"
"It's showtime!"
As the voice rang out, a magical scene unfolded.
Within the darkened hall, a brilliant rainbow appeared out of thin air, arcing across the ceiling above the crowd and extending all the way to the podium at the back of the banquet hall.
On that stage, a white figure, dazzling even in the darkness, suddenly materialized.
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