“Then I pray we have more success than your friend.” Palamedes cleans his glasses on the edge of his bathrobe and returns them to his face. Then he hands Natsuno a piece of chalk. “Make a mark at the head, feet, and either side of our friends here.” Yes, he means the dead bodies. “The marks should align as precisely as you can manage.”

A little bit louder, for the rest of the room, he adds, “He’s with me.”

Congrats, Natsuno, the Master Warden of the Library has officially vouched for you.