Template:Infobox Episode
Episode II-IV Skewer is the ninth episode of the Anime adaptation.
Synopsis
Jessica and Kanon have become the victims of the second twilight, but Kanon's corpse is missing, leading everyone to suspect him and the servants. As the family and servants separate, Kanon suddenly reappears out of nowhere...
Plot Summary
First Half
It's a little past 8:50 in the morning when Gohda suggests checking on Jessica and Kanon, as it's been a while since they last saw them. Rosa agrees and wants to bring everyone as a group, comparing it to a Wolves and Sheep puzzle. The group goes to Jessica's room and finds another magic circle drawn on the door. Maria smiles and explains that it's the First Pentacle of the Moon, granting the power to open locked doors. Gohda knocks on the door and calls for Jessica, but gets no response; he unlocks the door with his master key. They find only Jessica's body inside, with Nanjo confirming that she's been dead for a while. George then asks where Kanon went, with Shannon thinking the culprit kidnapped him.
Rosa silences them and walks over to a table, looking at a key on it and asking where it goes to; Genji explains that it's Jessica's own room key. Rosa then asks how many total keys there are: the only keys to the room are Jessica's and the five servants' master keys, adding up to six. Gohda adds how the only doors the master keys can't open is Kinzo's study and the chapel.
Inside the metaworld, Battler notes how the previous game made it unclear how many keys there were; Beatrice decided to explain how many total keys there were in this game to prevent him from saying that duplicate keys were used. She adds that the only master keys, or keys which can open any door, are the ones each servant holds, one per person. That means there are five in total. As Battler ponders what Rosa might be getting at, the gameboard returns to focus and Rosa begins to suspect the servants of killing Jessica, locking the door after she died.
Gohda is accused of killing Jessica and Kanon
Rosa then confirms the servants' alibis: Genji and Shannon's are valid, having been in Kinzo's study while Kumasawa woke up late that morning; she could've killed Jessica before meeting them in the parlor. Gohda is also suspicious, escorting Jessica and Kanon to their room and coming back alone; he could've killed them beforehand. Gohda and Kumasawa defend themselves, with Rosa then suggesting that Kanon could be the culprit since his location is unknown; either that or the culprit stole his key and moved his corpse. Rosa concludes that Kanon could very well be an accomplice, regardless of who Jessica's killer is.
Back in the metaworld, Battler finds it dirty that Beatrice made Kanon become a suspect because his body is gone; she asks him to prove otherwise if he has a problem with it. Battler still refuses to believe that Kanon could be the culprit. Rosa continues her line of reasoning, thinking that Kinzo's gold is related to the murders; Battler thinks she's insisting that Beatrice bribed Kanon; Rosa adds another possibility that Kanon might be trying to get the gold for himself. She tries to end the discussion by assuming Kanon to be Jessica's killer, and for everyone to watch out for him when Battler pipes up. Battler disagrees with Kanon being the culprit, saying it's too early to tell. He asks Gohda to explain his time with Jessica and Kanon in more detail.
He recounts how they went to Beatrice's VIP room and Jessica unlocked it with Kanon's master key. George realizes what Battler's coming on to: Kanon's key should still be in Jessica's pocket. Nanjo searches her body and finds it; Genji confirms it as such. Battler proclaims that Kanon is not the culprit since he didn't have his key; he couldn't have locked the door. Rosa refutes him, saying that Kanon is still suspicious because of his disappearance. Battler can't explain and thinks the culprit kidnapped him, and so Rosa thinks their line of reasoning has looped back to the start.
She aims the Winchester at Gohda and Kumasawa, resolute that one of them is the culprit. Battler stands between them and Rosa, vouching for their innocence and that they'd never kill for money; George agrees with him. Battler doesn't want to accept any conclusions without proof and Rosa, defeated, lowers her gun. Beatrice congratulates Battler's argument, and then raises the question of who actually locked the room.
Second Half
Beatrice adds some information regarding Jessica's room. This room has no type of hidden door and this door (the front door) is the only way in or out. The only way to lock this door is with Jessica's key or the keys held by each servant. One per servant. The window is also locked from the inside. Upon request, Beatrice adds that Kanon was killed inside this room. However, she refuses to repeat that "Kanon's corpse is in this room", citing it as having been erased with magic. She also refuses to repeat that "the last time this door was locked, it was with the one of the servant's master keys." Battler takes issue with her refusals, unsure if she can't repeat it or is trying to confuse him. Beatrice consolidates by adding that when the door is locked, it's impossible to enter or exit through it by any means. It's also impossible to lock the door from the outside without using a key. Confused, Battler tries to regather his thoughts; Beatrice mocks his unwillingness to accuse one of the servants, and that he's trapped himself through his own thinking. Battler leaves the metaworld, defeated, as Battler on the gameboard resigns.
He's proved that Kanon couldn't have locked the door but can't prove who killed Jessica; Shannon thanks him for trying to help and Battler apologizes to her, saying that she's still a suspect. He also apologizes to Rosa for being so uncooperative; he was just afraid to die and wanted to avenge the victims. Rosa apologizes too for being so rash, and wants to put things behind them; they share a handshake.
The clock strikes 1:00. The survivors are eating a canned food lunch, afraid that the cooking ingredients may be poisoned. Maria opens her puzzle book and excitedly shows Battler the Wolves and Sheep puzzle that Rosa was talking about earlier. In a Wolves and Sheep puzzle, there are several wolves and sheep on one side of a river that need to cross on a boat. The boat can only hold two animals, and if there are more wolves than sheep at any time, the sheep will get eaten. Battler comes to a realization as Rosa announces that Gohda is going to wash the dishes, asking the servants to go with him. George asks to come, and Rosa denies him, saying that she wants to say something to just the family; Nanjo leaves with the servants as well. As soon as they leave, Battler notes how Rosa has driven the wolves out. He references the Wolves and Sheep puzzle again, and how Rosa still suspects the servants; she wants to avoid situations where there are more of them than the family.
Rosa reaffirms her belief that someone with a key killed Jessica, and looks back at the first twilight deaths; a single person couldn't have sliced them open and put them in the chapel. Rosa assumes that several servants, Kanon included, are accomplices. Battler uses his chessboard thinking again, asking why the servants would lock the door since it would make them more suspicious. Rosa considered that Beatrice might be the sole culprit and used some method to lock the door and place suspicion on the servants, but dropped that line of reasoning since there are no duplicate keys. George realizes that Shannon might be in danger, being the only sheep among wolves; Rosa mentions how she and Genji went alone to Kinzo's study and came back fine, saying their both wolves. George instead thinks both of them are sheep, but there's no proof to either of those claims. When Battler asks Rosa to prove that she's not a wolf, she gestures to her gun as proof: if she really wanted to claim the Ushiromiya wealth for herself, she could've just shot them all and blame it on Beatrice.
Inside the kitchen, Kumasawa and Shannon are washing dishes. Genji and Nanjo play chess as Gohda laments not being able to cook a good meal for everyone. He's making a stew using only sealed ingredients, offering to eat it as well. Just then, they hear a sound from outside the door. Gohda investigates as Genji grabs a knife next to him. Gohda opens the door and Kanon falls in, bleeding profusely from a wound in his chest. Nanjo starts tending to his wound as Gohda goes to warn Rosa. Kanon, gasping for breath, asks him to stay, saying that Rosa is the culprit. They carry Kanon to the servant room, noting how his wound looks like he got stabbed with a spear. Kanon continues to say how Rosa killed him and Jessica; Gohda realizes that Battler and George might be in danger. Shannon gets a determined look on her face and runs down to the basement to find a spiderweb.
Nanjo finishes bandaging Kanon's wound as he stands up, repeating that Rosa is going to kill them all. Nanjo is shocked that he can still stand despite his condition, asking if he's alright. Kanon pulls off the bandages and feels around inside his wound saying he feels fine, much to Kumasawa's dismay. Shannon comes back holding the spiderweb in a handkerchief, planning to touch Kanon with it; if he's real, the spiderweb shouldn't do anything.
Shannon then jumps back as Nanjo and Kumasawa fall over dead; Kanon's summoned a sword and slit their throats. Kanon leaps again to attack Shannon; he misses when Genji grabs her, and they roll out of the way. Gohda then charges into Kanon and pins him against the wall.
He raises his sword to attack, but Genji throws the knife he grabbed earlier and pins his arm to the wall. He then takes Shannon's spiderweb and presses it against Kanon's wound, who screams out in pain as searing noises are heard; he finally disappears into golden particles. Gohda can hardly believe what he's seen, looking at his shaking hands as the camera pans over Nanjo and Kumasawa's corpses.
Trivia
- In chess, a skewer is where you move a piece to attack another, forcing it to move and reveal another piece behind it for capture.