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"Nooo way… I think we're lost." Ayumi finally realized what was going on, and Dr. Agasa looked really embarrassed.
Hana Buming, on the other hand, didn't seem worried at all and even laughed. "No big deal! The Earth's round anyway—if we keep going, we'll find a way out eventually!"
Dr. Agasa was clearly uncomfortable now. "If you kids hadn't been chattering away and distracting me, how could a genius like me—with an IQ of 180—possibly get lost?"
"Looks like we're sleeping in the car tonight, out in the wild."
"Eh?! No way!" Ayumi went pale with fright.
But Hana just looked completely unbothered. "Sleeping outdoors actually sounds kinda fun! Too bad we already let that fish go... if we had a grill, we could've turned it into a gourmet feast…" That one comment instantly killed all sense of danger.
Genta wiped his mouth, eyes sparkling. "Man, if I'd known, I would've told you to catch an eel!"
"Dude! You're still thinking about food at a time like this?!" Mitsuhiko snapped. "If you're gonna catch something, it should've been crabs!"
"Stop thinking about food! We need to find a place to sleep!" Ayumi dreamed out loud, "Maybe there's a hotel nearby... or even a castle by the lake!"
Conan didn't even know how to respond. "A castle? Seriously? That kind of stuff only happens in fairy tales…"
"Really? Well, not impossible," Haibara said with a slight smile.
Conan looked up—and froze. A massive castle stood tall right in the middle of the forest.
You've gotta be kidding me, he thought. Is the universe messing with me right now?
"Woooah~ this place is huge!" Ayumi stood at the castle gates, hands together like she was making a wish, clearly lost in her own fantasy.
Dr. Agasa scratched his head, totally confused. "Who in their right mind builds a castle way out here in the middle of nowhere?"
The moment Genta saw the castle, he got super excited and climbed over the front gate before anyone could stop him. Dr. Agasa tried to pull him back but couldn't. As soon as Genta jumped down inside, a skinny gardener rushed over and grabbed him by the collar, making Genta flail in panic.
"Where'd this little brat come from?! You're trespassing on private property!"
Panicking, Dr. Agasa shouted, "Wait! Sir! We're not bad people—really!"
Hana just stared in disbelief. Well, now we really look like bad guys…
The gardener squinted through the gate at the rest of them. "And who are you people?"
"We're just passing by," Dr. Agasa said with an awkward smile. "We saw this amazing castle and wondered... would it be okay if we took a look inside?"
The gardener barked, "Get outta here! This place isn't for random riff-raff like you!"
Before he could finish, another voice called out from the courtyard: "Who are these people?"
A big man with a square-shaped face (you could call it "perfectly square" by today's standards) walked up, scowling like a villain. "I don't remember us having any guests today…"
The gardener pointed at Dr. Agasa, full of disdain. "Sir, this dopey-looking old guy said he wanted to come in and have a look around."
"D-Dopey-looking?!" Dr. Agasa was stunned. "You talking about me?!" He glanced around and realized... yep, no other old guys here. Furious, he yelled, "Dopey-looking my butt! I'm a scientist with an IQ of 180!"
The square-faced man paused mid-step and looked back, surprised. "You're a scientist?"
Dr. Agasa stroked his two little white mustaches proudly. "That's right! I'm Dr. Agasa. Some might even say I'm fairly well known in the science community!"
Hana snorted with laughter from behind him. Yeah, "fairly well known"… counting me and Haibara, I'd say maybe ten people know who he is.
"Oh? A real scientist?" The "lord" of the castle seemed briefly impressed, his eyes flashing with a glimmer of excitement. "Then your brain must be better than us regular folks, huh? Fine! You can come in. In fact, why not stay the night?"
"Oh ho ho! Don't mind if we do!" Dr. Agasa beamed, like someone had just handed him a pillow when he was about to fall asleep standing up.
But Hana looked at the man with suspicion. What's with this guy? Is he for real? Something about this castle feels... off.
He closed his eyes for a second, trying to sense something—and suddenly looked shocked.
The castle itself seemed normal... but something in the surrounding mountains was giving off a strange spiritual energy. And whatever it was, it felt like it was calling to him.
What the heck? Isn't magic and spiritual energy supposed to not exist in this world?
"This is awesome!" The kids all cheered at the idea of staying in a castle.
The gardener looked a bit uneasy. "Sir, are you sure? Shouldn't we tell the Madam first? It's not really proper to make decisions without her…"
The man just smiled. "Just tell her they're my friends. Besides, with my mother-in-law's condition, it's not like she'll understand anyway."
"Her condition?" Dr. Agasa looked confused at the phrasing.
The gardener glanced back and said flatly, "She's old. Pretty deep into dementia, to be honest."
"....."